Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the door to a dialogue with the Opposition to sort out differences is still open.
Addressing a party rally in Dhaka, she also urged the Leader of the Opposition, Khaleda Zia, to refrain from enforcing strikes across Bangladesh.
“You did not respond to my invitation [for talks]. Do you want to lead the country towards destruction?” she said.
Hasina and Khaleda spoke over the phone on Oct 26 amid rising tensions of a political confrontation between the two leading alliances.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda turned down Hasina’s requests to withdraw the 60-hour strike last month.
Late on Saturday, Khaleda agreed to a Secretary General-level talks with the ruling Awami League after meeting the country’s top business persons.
The BNP called for a second spell of shutdown starting from Monday to press for its non-party caretaker demand.
Addressing Sunday’s rally, Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said his party would consider talks only if the Opposition called off the strike starting on Monday.
“Call off the shutdown,” Hasina requested her arch political rival from Sunday’s rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan.
“The path of talks is still open,” she said.
Hasina requested the Opposition to scrap the strike plan for the sake of the Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) examinations which were slated to start from Nov 4.
The JSC and JDC tests for Nov 4 and Nov 6 have been rescheduled due to the strike.
“You (Khaleda) have to promise the nation that you won’t harm the people’s lives and property by enforcing any more strikes,” Hasina said.
The BNP-led Opposition has been staging street agitation since the caretaker government provision was scrapped through the 15th constitutional amendment.
Awami League leaders have been claiming the Opposition was trying to shield the war criminals.
“You (Khaleda) won’t be able to save the war criminals, no matter how many strikes you enforce,” Hasina said.
Nine former and current Jammat-e-Islami leaders and two BNP leaders, including a standing MP, have been convicted of war crimes so far.
The Prime Minister said the 10th national election would take place in “due time”.
She asked the people to vote her party to power for ‘continuity of development’.
Hasina referred to her telephone conversation where the BNP chief said she would cut cakes on Aug 15, which she said was her birthday.
Almost the entire family of Hasina was murdered on Aug 15, 1975 by a group of rouge army officials.
“She is mentally disturbed,” the Prime Minister said of the Opposition Leader.
“I’d request her not to push the country towards destruction.”
Hasina asked if Khaleda wished to bring back a government same to the 2007-8 military-installed caretaker government.
“Why? What’s the guarantee that she won’t be imprisoned,” she said.
Both Hasina and Khaleda were incarcerated during the past caretaker government.
The Prime Minister urged everyone to remain vigilant to protect the people’s lives and properties during the Opposition’s strike.
Source: bdnews24
