It urges govt to bring all those responsible for Savar tragedy to justice
“We’ve sought permission for holding our rally at Shapla Chattar. The government had earlier allowed different parties to hold their programmes at the venue. So, we hope the government and the authorities concerned will permit the 18-party alliance to stage the rally there,” said senior BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.
He was talking to reporters after a preparatory meeting of the party held at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Monday for making the rally a success.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is scheduled to address the rally as the chief guest and likely to announce the next course of action programmes of the alliance to push for its various demands, including restoration of the caretaker government system.
Mosharraf, also a BNP standing committee member, said, “The people of the country are worried over the sordid state of the country’s political and economic condition, deteriorating law and order and Savar disaster. In this situation, people eagerly want to hear the voice of the opposition leader.”
Seeking all-out cooperation from the government in successfully holding the rally, Mosharraf said, “We hope the government would allow a major political party like BNP to hold its rally at Shapla Chattar and cooperate with us so that Khaleda Zia can address the rally in a peaceful atmosphere.”
Replying to a question, the BNP leader said they are thinking of Kakrail’s Nightingale Intersection as an alternative venue to hold the rally if the government refuses to stage it at Shapla Chattar.
He said the meeting also decided to conduct a massive campaign to drum up pubic support for the rally.
When his attention was drawn to the Prime Minister’s call for withdrawal of the 18-party’s May 2 hartal, Mosharraf said different quarters are requesting the opposition to withdraw the hartal. “It’s a matter of 18-party. So far I know no decision is made by the alliance in this regard.”
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested the opposition BNP to call off their May 2 hartal considering the humanitarian ground as the rescue operation at Savar is going on.
“It’s very disheartening that the opposition has called the hartal at a time when the rescue operation, treatment and rehabilitation works are going on,” she said after her visit to Enam Medical College Hospital and Savar CMH where a good number of Savar building collapse victims undergoing treatment.
On Saturday night, the BNP-led 18-party alliance called the countrywide daylong hartal for May 2 to register its protest against Savar tragedy.
Sought comments about the arrest of collapsed Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana, Mosharraf said not only the building owner but also all those responsible for it, including local MP Murad Jong, must be brought to justice.
“Arrests should not be made only to show people… all those responsible for the tragedy have to be punished. We’re waiting to se whether trial is held,” he added.
BNP’s Dhaka city unit convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka, chairperson’s advisers Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, joint secretary general Barkatullah Bulu, organising secretaries Fazlul Haque Milon, Golam Akbar Khandaker, Asadul Habib Dulu, Dhaka city unit member secretary Abdus Salam and top leasers of the party’s associate bodies were present at the meeting.
