A furious Tofail Ahmed has bashed BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman for claiming that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the first ‘illegal prime minister’ of Bangladesh.
The senior Awami League leader called Tarique an ‘idiot’ in Parliament on Thursday.
Addressing Tarique, Commerce Minister Tofail, who was Bangabandhu’s political secretary, said, “You idiot, (you) didn’t receive any education. Was your father an elected representative?”
“Your father was always going out of breath calling us sir,” he said about Tarique’s father Ziaur Rahman, the BNP’s founder.
Zia and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s elder son at a programme on Apr 8 said Bangabandhu was the first ‘unlawful prime minister’.
Tarique’s remarks came less than two weeks after he made the startling claim that Zia was Bangladesh’s first president.
Tofail had also reacted irately in Parliament at the time.
File Photo
Tarique, who is accused in several cases including the one filed over grenade attack on an Awami League rally on Aug 21, 2004, is currently in London.
Tofail, who is the ruling party’s Advisory Council member, on Thursday also urged the prime minister and law minister for pushing to end the grenade attack case trial as early as possible.
Before Tofail, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim asked BNP chief Khaleda to restrain her son.
Nasim said in Parliament, “Stop this boy. He is saying more foolish things as time is passing. This is wrong… he’ll be brought back to country and tried if you (Khaleda) don’t stop him.”
He also reminded her that legal steps were taken against those who had slandered India’s Mahatma Gandhi, Turkey’s Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and China’s Mao Zedong.
The Presidium member said, “This is unacceptable that (he) won’t acknowledge the father of the nation, the constitution. A sedition case can be filed. Tough and legal steps should be taken against him.”
Railway Minister Md Mazibul Hoque also expressed frustration. Both Khaleda and her son were illiterate, he said.
He also dubbed Tarique as the ‘broker’ of ISI, the Pakistani intelligence service.
Several other ruling party MPs also harshly criticised Tarique for his controversial remarks.
Source: Bd news24
