“You have to go back home and your condition will be pathetic if they (Hefajat and Jamaat) can assume state power. They have already made it clear through placing their demands,” he said while addressing a solidarity meeting of the 14-party alliance with the female leaders.
Ruling party leader Amir Hossain Amu presided over the meeting held at Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s office at Dhanmondi.
Tofail, also Awami League advisory council member, alleged that the main aim of Hefajat and Jamaat is to hinder the march of the young generation, who woke up to the Shahbagh movement, towards progress.
Addressing on the occasion, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury said the present war is between advancement and backwardness. “Bangladesh is moving towards advancement which is not liked by many. For this, attack is being carried out on women.”
Posing a question, senior Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim said, “Will we go back to the Dark Ages? It’s not possible under any circumstances.”
Addressing the solidarity meeting, the women leaders said Hefajat took to the streets with their 13-point demand with the support of Jamaat only to hinder the country’s progress.
Mr. Tofael has been very vocal in recent times. Especially when AL has been pushed to a defensive position, he has been frantically trying to come to the good book of the PM. He has been a severe critique of Hefazat’s demand regarding women. But as a very experienced and learned (?) politician, he must have known what women in the radical Islamist Iran are doing. Reports say that about 50%-60% researchers, teachers, doctors,workers etc are women. They are alright in their modest dress (hijab) and none has ever objected to it; neither is Iran pushing itself back into the middle age and he also knows that to reach the position of Iran Bangladesh will take another half a century, if not more. So who does he try to beguile? He and his proteges should know that they are contradicting themselves by thinking that Bangladeshi people, in this ‘digital’ age, will remain their ‘servile’ voters for ever just because they ferry the time-worn ‘. . . chetana’.