Bangladesh: AL becomes politically bankrupt, says Fakhrul

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has refuted the Awami League leaders’ remarks that BNP has no strength to wage movement against the government, saying that Awami League had been politically bankrupt and abandoned. Addressing a meeting at National Press Club on Sunday, he also said a conspiracy was hatched against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to harm her. ‘The Awami League has become politically bankrupt and abandoned. The government has no ground under its feet; it become alienated from people… the ministers are talking nonsense as they have failed to counter BNP politically’, Fakhrul said. ‘I would like to ask the ministers, who are saying that the BNP has no strength to wage movement, to come up without police and RAB’, he said. ‘I would like to tell the government to resign and hand over power to a non-party government. Or else, you will be responsible for any dire consequences that may arise’, he said. Swadhinata Forum organised the meeting marking the ‘third anniversary of attempt to kill Zainul Abdin Faruque’. Faruque, the then opposition chief whip, was injured in police attack on July 6, 2011 at the parliament compound. Fakhrul criticized the information minister’s reported remarks that ‘Khaleda Zia is synonym to militants and terrorists and she should be eliminated from the earth. In response, Fakhrul said: ‘His (Inu) speech was fearful… a conspiracy was hatched against BNP chairperson. All the responsibility would go to the government if she had any harm’. Fakhrul said the government was afraid of Ziaur Rahman’s family. He said the ministers’ remarks revealed that they were afraid of the Zia’s family and they were carrying on propaganda against the party’s senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman after they failed to prove any charges against him. BNP leaders Zainul Abdin Faruque, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Mir Sharafat Ali Sapu, among others, spoke.