Govt fooling people by talking about development: BNP

Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders during a media briefing at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office in Dhaka on 22 December 2020
Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders during a media briefing at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office in Dhaka on 22 December 2020Prothom Alo

Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday alleged that the government is misleading people about the country’s real condition by talking about development, reports news agency UNB.

“They (govt) often talk about huge development in the country. They’re calling themselves a role model of development. But UNDP’s Human Development Index published yesterday (Monday) showed Bangladesh in the fifth position in South Asia. It’s even below Bhutan,” he said.

Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office in the capital, Fakhrul said, “So, it could be understood, whatever is said about our development is in fact an attempt of the government to confuse people and thus stay in power by force.”

He also alleged that the government has destroyed the spirit of the Liberation War in all the sectors. “They’ve ruined the independence of the judiciary through politicisation … and leading the country towards a one-party state.”

Fakhrul said it is regrettable that when the nation is going to celebrate the golden jubilee of independence, a freedom fighter like Khaleda Zia has been kept in jail by convicting her in ‘false’ cases

Fakhrul said their party has taken elaborate programmes to mark the golden jubilee of independence throughout the year in 2021 with only a goal — to restore the spirit of the Liberation War and democracy.

He, however, voiced apprehension over the observance of the party programmes of the golden jubilee involving people amidst the prevalence of novel coronavirus and adverse political environment.

Fakhrul said it is regrettable that when the nation is going to celebrate the golden jubilee of independence, a freedom fighter like Khaleda Zia has been kept in jail by convicting her in ‘false’ cases.

“We see Ziaur Rahman, the proclaimer of independence, is insulted. Those who were in the frontline of the Liberation War are also being belittled. Let’s celebrate the golden jubilee of independence with the utmost dignity and establish the honour of those who were involved in the Liberation War and restore democracy,” the BNP leader said.

Stating that attaining independence is the nation’s biggest achievement, he said the main responsibility of BNP, founded by Ziaur Rahman, is to protect it.

At the press conference, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, BNP standing committee member and the convener of the party’s national committee on the celebration of the golden jubilee, announced the names of 15 committees on different subjects and 10 divisional ones for marking the mega event next year.

Before announcing the names of the committee members, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said as a party of Freedom Fighters they have a greater responsibility to celebrate the golden jubilee of the independence of the country.

He further said committees would be formed abroad as well to celebrate the golden jubilee of independence.