You can’t do anything: Hasina to Khaleda

“She (Khaleda) is the instigator…she’s the accused of giving orders,” Hasina said.

The Prime Minister came up with the warning while making her opening speech at a views-exchange meeting with the grassroots leaders of the ruling Awami League from Feni at her official residence Ganobhaban.

Sheikh Hasina urged the opposition leader to come to the path of democracy, or else, she warned Khaleda will not be able to imagine what will happen to her.

The Prime Minister mentioned that her government would not sit idle when the opposition activists will engage in killing people and burning the holy Quran, and hatch conspiracy to oust the government. “This won’t happen anymore,” she said.

“You’ll kill people, burn the holy Quran and there’ll be no trial…this can’t be…,” she said.

The Prime Minister’s warning against Khaleda Zia came following Sunday’s widespread violence in the city when Hefajat-e-Islam activists went berserk vandalising vehicles and shops and making arson attacks, demanding that their 13-point demand, including a harsher anti-blasphemy law, be met.

Hasina alleged that the opposition leader only knows how to destroy, and the people of this country do not want to see such a destroyer. “She (Khaleda) should realise that,” she added.

The Prime Minister said Muslims always keep the holy Quran in the safest place. “But they burned it…I don’t know whether such a huge number of copies of the holy Quran had ever been burned in the past.”

Hasina wanted to know whether Hefajat-e-Islam wanted to protect Islam by burning the holy Quran. “My question is what type of Islam they want to protect.”

She categorically mentioned that there is no doubt that BNP and Jamaat men were involved in the heinous acts “because burning is their habit. They burn vehicles, houses and now they started burning the holy Quran.”

The Prime Minister said each and every one of those involved in this notorious act will be found out by scanning video footages. “No one will be spared,” she warned adding, “We’ll put those who burned the holy Quran on trial…we’ll try them on the soil of this country.”

Hasina said Awami League believes in religion, but does not do politics with that. “It (AL) doesn’t do business in the name of religion.”

About the opposition’s allegation of concealing over 2,500 dead bodies by government agencies, she asked the opposition leader how much ammunition and arms are needed to kill 2,500 people in just 30 minutes. “If it really happened, there might be the evidence of that in each building of the area.”

The Prime Minister said it had been possible to clear the area within 10 minutes as people left the area willingly.

She sharply criticised the opposition for spreading rumours over the dead bodies at Shapta Chattar.

Hasina also asked the opposition to find out the dead bodies of those and injured in that predawn operation of the law enforcement agencies carried out to clear the area from Hefajat-e-Islam activists.

The premier said the opposition is now playing with the fate of people. “We’ve a constitution, we’ve established democracy. So, the election will be held as per the system of other democratic countries across the world,” she said.

She alleged that the opposition leader was thinking that she would be able to return to power if she can kill some people and burn the copies of the holy Quran. “She thinks someone will come and put her in the throne. That will never happen.”

Regarding the 48-hour ultimatum of the opposition leader, Hasina said her ultimatum turned futile. “The BNP-Jamaat alliance has so far given so many ultimatums, you’ve used your all ultimatums…I request you to shun this path. These shutdowns won’t work. You can’t do anything,” she said.

Hasina urged the opposition leader to return to the path of healthy politics as killing and destroying public property will not bring anything good for her.

Hasina said cases can be filed against the opposition leader for killing people. “She (Khaleda) is responsible for killing people and she has to be accountable for that,” she said adding that opposition leader everyday killing people in the name of agitation programme.

Food Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanak and AL leaders Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Bir Bahadur, MP were, among others, at the meeting.