Ahmed Kamal, the brother of late President Ziaur Rahman, does not think the current activities of the BNP match the ideals of its founder.
Kamal, “worried over the BNP’s fragile condition”, regretted the deviation the party has undergone in the years since the assassination of General Zia.
He said a ‘vested anti-liberation group is misleading’ Zia’s wife Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister and the present chairperson of the party.
“They want her to be in the dark by giving her wrong advice and information,” Kamal said at a discussion on Saturday.
He said Khaleda had not been ‘not right’ in raising a controversy over the number of Liberation War martyrs by expressing her doubts on the matter.
Kamal was speaking at a discussion organized by Shaheed Zia O Jatiyatabadi Adarsha Bastobayan Parishad on the theme, “Zia’s Ideals and Recovery of Endangered Democracy”.
Former BNP leader Ashraf Hossain, who was expelled from the BNP over his reformist stance during the 2007-08 period of the military-supported caretaker government, and Kazi Siraj, former acting editor of the BNP mouthpiece Daily Dinkal, were present.
After the discussion, Kamal told reporters that he would form a new party.
“I’ll tell you about the time later,” he said.
No BNP leader or activist was present at the discussion, which was attended by some 40-45 youths from Bailey Road, Moghbazar and Fakirapool.
Kamal had earlier, in November last year, organized special prayers for his deceased family members.
He had then said he was not eager to join politics.
But on Saturday, in what amounted to a turnaround, he told reporters of his plans to form a new party to be known as Nationalist Party.
His speech at the discussion, though, made no reference to a new party apart from a promise to implement his brother’s ideals and revamp the BNP.
“I don’t want to do politics with greed for power. I want to serve the people by standing by the BNP,” he said.
Kamal criticized the Awami League government for “curbing” freedom of speech.
He also alleged the ruling party was out to eliminate the BNP from politics by using the law-enforcing agencies and party cadres.
He called for a ‘solution’ through a dialogue with all parties.
Kamal urged politicians to keep the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Ziaur Rahman out of every debate.
His relative S Islam Don moderated the programme.
Source: bdnews24