Two senior BNP leaders on Wednesday alleged that the government is trying to fish in troubled waters through its move to remove their chairperson’s Gulshan office following Holey Artisan Café terror attack.
Speaking at a doa and milad mahfil, party standing committee members Mirza Abbas and Gayeshwar Chandra Roy also said the main motive behind this move is to annihilate BNP and different opinions.
Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, BNP’s youth wing, arranged the programme on the ground floor of the party’s Naya Paltan central office seeking early recovery of its ailing senior joint general secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
“We’ve heard the government has issued a notice to relocate BNP chairperson’s office from Gulshan after an incident in the area…they’re actually trying to fish in troubled waters. Can they give any guarantee that terrorist acts or crossfire won’t happen if Khaleda Zia’s office is removed?” said Abbas.
He also warned that the government will not be able to suppress BNP by removing their chairperson’s office. “If her office is removed, Khaleda Zia’s office will be created at all houses in Bangladesh, including Dhaka.”
The BNP leader also alleged that law enforcers are trying to install close circuit cameras in their party’s Dhaka city unit office at Nayapaltan to discourage their party leaders and activists not to visit it and monitor their activities. “It’s an attack on personal liberty.”
He said it seems that the government will gradually set up camera at every house and bedroom in the name of tackling militancy.
Abbas said though the entire nation is now passing through a critical time, the government is only resorting to blame game instead of taking effective steps to overcome it.
Coming down hard on the Home Minister for his comment that they had earlier information about terror attack at Gulshan and other parts of the country, he urged the government to make it clear to people why so many people were subjected to brutal killings despite having such information.
The BNP leader urged the government and ministers to forge a national unity to face the national problem shunning their unguarded remarks.
He also criticised the Prime Minister for her comment that a national unity already exists, he questioned how the unity was forged keeping BNP, which represents ‘huge’ a number of people, out of it.
“Awami League candidates will lose their security money if now a fair election is held. So, I couldn’t understand who with whom forged the unity leaving BNP. Is this unity to save the country or destroy it and suppress the opposition?
Gayeshwar said though Gulshan was announced as a diplomatic zone, it has now turned into a commercial area. “Why only Khaleda Zia’s office will be shifted while the commercial establishments remain there?”
“The government must give us guarantee that no bad incident will take place if Khaleda Zia’s office is relocated from there. If they can’t do that we’ll understand that it’s nothing but its evil efforts to eliminate its opponents,” he quipped.
Gayeshwar also questioned whether the militants have given the government any information that they will only attack the diplomatic zone, not any other parts of the country. “Any part of the country and any individual can come under terror attack under the current context in the country. So, the diplomatic zone will not be secure by only removing our chairperson’s office.”
The BNP leader said the nation is deeply worried about their security after the two terror attacks at Gullah and Sholakia. “But, people have so far not seen any goodwill and sincerity of the government to get rid of it.”
Source: Prothom Alo