Look at your own corruption, Fakhrul asks Hasina

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has hit out at Awami League president, prime minister Sheikh Hasina for calling the BNP a corrupt party and its chairperson a corrupt leader.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday blamed her AL government for plundering millions of taka through corruption in mega projects and from different banks.

The BNP, in leaflets distributed among people, also alleged that the Sheikh Hasina government quashed cases of corruption against her with an involvment of Tk 150 billion. The BNP also termed conviction of party chairperson Khaleda Zia a politically motivated action.

Mirza Fakhrul, speaking at a discussion, protested at the remarks the prime minister made in parliament on Wednesday, criticising the BNP.

“You (PM) should see your own face in the mirror and know what the people’s perception is about you… People know very well who’re plundering thousands of crores of taka from mega projects and different banks. They also know who’re not indulging in corruption,” UNB quoted the BNP leader as saying.

“The prime minister on Wednesday made some objectionable remarks in parliament. She called a major party corrupt, but it had ruled the country five times since its inception and introduced multi-party democracy and restored the press freedom,” he said.

Jatiya Ganotantrik Odhikar Mancha arranged the programme at the National Press Club, demanding the release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and its standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy.

On Wednesday, prime minister Sheikh Hasina sharply criticised the BNP for dropping section 7 from its charter and making a convict its head.

“Will the party which accepts corruption as a policy or supports it in its charter and accepts a corrupt leader work for the wellbeing of people? They (its leaders) can commit only plundering, killing people and corruption,” she said during her valedictory speech of the 19th session of the 10th parliament.
Read more: BNP counters with corruption allegations against Hasina

Mirza Fakhrul said revered journalist ABM Musa, who died around four years back, had called the Awami League men as ‘thieves’. “Even, Badrudin Omar while talking to journalists at Kolkata Airport a few days back also called them thieves by names.”

He also recalled that the army-backed government after 1/11 political change over in 2007 filed 15 graft cases against Sheikh Hasina while four ones against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia. “But, she (PM) withdrew the cases filed against her keeping the four ones against our leader.”

The BNP leader said the government has filed 78,000 cases implicating over 1.8 million BNP leaders and activists and filled the jails with them. “You’re doing all these things as you know you don’t have any chance to win the next polls if our party men remain with people.”

He alleged that the government is arresting BNP leaders and followers to ensure its victory in the next polls by any means.

Fakhrul said Awami League has no legal and moral right to stay in power. “That’s why they’ve destroyed all the democratic institutions, including the parliament, administration and the judiciary.”

He called upon their party leaders and activists to get united further to ensure the release of their chairperson and other leaders, and an acceptable election through a strong struggle. “We must get more united to defeat this demon government.”

Later, Fakhrul went to the BNP’s Naya Paltan central office and took part in its schedule programme of distributing leaflets among people demanding Khaleda’s release.

Earlier, party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi inaugurated the leaflets distribution programme at Naya Paltan as Fakhrul could not attend in time due to his mother’s sudden illness.