BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir speaks to the reporters at Ladies Club in the capital on Tuesday. Photo: UNB
BNP on Tuesday provided political party leaders with Tk 30 iftar items each, an amount allocated for its jailed chairperson Khaleda Zia.BNP hosted the iftar party in honour of politicians at Ladies Club in the city participated by around 2,000 leaders and activists of Jatiya Oikya Front, the 20-party alliance and different professionals.
Though the party invited senior leaders of ruling Awami League, no one of them turned up at the event. Oikya Front convener Kamal Hossain was not present at the iftar either.
The Tk-30 iftar items include two dates, one jalebi, one beguni, one piaju, some cooked grams and pupped rice and a small bottle of water.
In a brief address prior to the iftar meal, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they arranged the iftar with a heavy heart since their chairperson Khaleda has been kept in jail in ‘false’ cases.
“When we’ve gathered here, she’s also waiting to take iftar at a tiny room of PG Hospital (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University). The government provides Tk 30 for her iftar. That’s why we kept our iftar limited to the same amount of money, showing our empathy to her,” he said.
The BNP leader urged the guests to take the matter as a mark of respect for Khaleda.
He also urged them to pray for the wellbeing of Khaleda and the arrested BNP leaders and activists and their family members.
Fakhrul said the current government established a dictatorship in the country by destroying democracy, democratic institutions and basic pillars of the state.
“We’re heading towards a terrible consequence. Let’s pray to the Almighty Allah so that He saves us from it,” he added.
Gonoforum executive presidents professor Abu Sayeed, Subrata Chowdhury, its former general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu, Nagorik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, JSD general secretary Abdul Malek Ratan, Jamaat leaders Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Hamidur Rahman Azad, Abdul Halim, Selimuddin, Jatiya Party (Zafar) president Mostafa Jamal Haider, Khelafat Majlish chief professor Mohammad Ishaq, Kalyan Party chief Syed Mohammed Ibrahim, NPP chairman Fariduzzaman Farhad, Muslim League leader AHM Kamruzzaman, Labour party chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran, Gonoshasthya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Jamiruddin Sircar, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, among others, joined the iftar.
Source: Prothom Alo.
