The BNP chairperson failed to develop “honest, sincere, and brave” comrades around herself, according to the senior politician.
The BNP standing committee member also claims Khaleda had “admitted to the failure but blamed her fate”.
“Today questions are raised over courage of the BNP leaders. Despite having an uncompromising chief, many of the leaders are maybe conciliatory or coward, and lacking the courage to tackle any situation,” Gayeshwar said at an event in Dhaka.
Senior leaders such as Moudud Ahmed, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, and Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, among others, were present at the event organised to mark the launch of a book on Khaleda’s political life.
“I had told her (Khaleda) ‘Madam, you’ve gained confidence of the people of the country in a short period…but still there is a failure in your life’,” Gayeshwar recalled.“She got furious and asked, ‘What failure?’. I said ‘I can’t speak out if you get angry. You must listen to what I say. You have conquered many things, but you could not create an honest and sincere advisory panel around you.
“She then sighed, pointed a finger at her forehead and said: ‘I have to continue with what I have. What else can I do?’”
“And I am saying it again today: Khaleda Zia has failed. She could not create honest, sincere, and brave associates,” Gayeshwar said.
The former prime minister has been serving altogether 17 years in jail since February last year after conviction in two corruption cases.
The party has been demonstrating for her release. It joined parliamentary polls without her, but lost heavily to the Awami League.
Source: Bdnews24.