Now only movement in BNP’s mind, says Fakhrul

Senior Correspondent: BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said their party is now only thinking of a movement, not election and any other things, to have their chairperson Khaleda Zia freed from jail.

“The mother of democracy, Khaleda Zia, has been kept in jail unfairly. I urge all to wake up and burst into protests on the streets against injustice,” he told a discussion.

The BNP leader further said, “We don’t have any other alternative to carrying out a movement. We’ll free our leader (Khaleda) through a movement. We don’t want to think of anything else before her release.”

He also urged his party colleagues to work for strengthening BNP further and visit every house to encourage people to take to the streets for restoring their voting and other rights and their security by removing the current ‘monstrous’ government from power.

BNP arranged the discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, marking the 47th Independence Day.

Fakhrul called upon all democratic parties and organisations to forge a national unity to free the country from what he said internationally recognised autocratic government.“People are now waiting everywhere for a scope to oust this government forever.”

He said they will carry out their movement in a peaceful and democratic manner also to force the government release all the arrested BNP leaders and activists.

The BNP leader accused the government of destroying the spirit of the Liberation War by destroying democracy and snatching people’s rights.

He said the ruling party men are indulging in widespread corruption and plundering huge public money taking mega projects.

Speaking at the programme, BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the government has sent their party chief to jail in a ‘false’ case as part of their conspiracy to keep her away from the 11th parliamentary polls.

He warned that the country’s people will not allow the ruling party to hold a 2014-like ‘lopsided’ election. “People also won’t allow the ruling party to hold the next polls without Khaleda Zia’s participation.”

Another BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed said only legal battle is not enough to free Khaleda from jail. “We must mobilise public opinion and carry out a strong movement to get our chairperson back among us.”

He said their party should get ready for the next polls alongside carrying out the movement as Awami League is taking a good preparation for it.

BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, Jamiruddin Sircar, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the programme.
 

risingbd/Dhaka/March 31, 2018/Reza/A K Azad