Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday ‘praised’ Bangladesh Nationalist Party senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman’s wife saying that an educated woman like her could contribute better if inducted in the party’s central leadership.
Echoing Sunday’s remark of road transport minister Obaidul Quader on the BNP’s newly announced central committee, several cabinet members launched into scathing criticism of the opposition party’s new committee at the weekly cabinet meeting with Hasina in chair at the secretariat, said a minister.
During an informal discussion, Obaidul alleged that the offspring of the ‘war criminals’ and the accused in the August 21 grenade attacks on ruling Awami League rally were getting posts in the BNP’s 502-member national executive committee.
Shipping minister Shajahan Khan said there was a discussion about the two posts on the BNP’s 19-member standing committee which were still vacant, perhaps to be filled by the wives of the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s two sons —Tarique, now staying in London, and the late Arafat Rahman.
Hinting at Tarique’s wife Zubaida Rahman, a physician, Hasina, also AL president, said that she [Zubaida] was an educated woman and could contribute better to the party if given a post in the BNP’s top executive body, the minister quoted Hasina as saying.
Drawing the attention of the LGRD and cooperatives minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, the prime minister asked whether Zubaida was his relative.
Obaidul Quader on Sunday said the BNP’s 502-member ‘jumbo jet’ national executive committee could only be termed as the ‘joke of the year’.
He claimed that BNP violated Bangladesh’s constitution repeatedly, just as they did with their party charter.
On Saturday, BNP named members of its 502-strong executive committee, nearly four-and-a-half- months into its term that began with the party’s National Council held in March.
Over a dozen members of BNP leaders’ families have been drafted into the new committee.
Source: New Age
