Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday held Awami League responsible for August 21, 2004 grenade attack on its rally to embarrass the then BNP government.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi addressing ahead of a prayer session said that August 21 grenade attack was a ‘well- planned’ incident of Awami League to embarrass the then BNP government.
He said Awami League was permitted to hold public meeting at Muktangan in Dhaka city in 2004. But instead there, Awami League had organised the rally in front of Awami League headquarters, Rizvi said. ‘Then terrorist attack took place,’ he said.
‘Your (prime minister Sheikh Hasina) people had staged the incident to embarrass the BNP government,’ Rizvi said.
Jatiyatabadi Olama Dal organised the prayer session seeking early recovery of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia who is now staying in London and underwent surgery in her eye in a hospital on August 8.
Twenty four people including late president Zillur Rahman’s wife Ivy Rahman, were killed and over 200 injured in the grenade attack on a rally of the then main opposition Awami League in front of its central office at Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.
Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, now the prime minister, among others escaped the attack but the explosions caused her hearing damage.
BNP senior joint secretary general Rizvi said Awami League was blaming BNP for the grenade attack incident as BNP was in power at that time.
He said even Fakhruddin-Moeenuddin government, the ‘harvest of Awami League’s movement’, could not involve BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman in August 21 grenade attack.
But Awami League after assuming office by their nominated person implicated Tarique’s name in the charge sheet of grenade attack aiming to tarnish the image of Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman and BNP.
Turning to 16th amendment verdict, the BNP leader said that the government was issuing threats by its different forces to those who have taken stand in favour of Supreme Court verdict that scrapped 16th amendment to the Constitution.
Rizvi came down hard on the government for obstructing the party’s relief works for flood victims in various places.
Source: New Age
