Be active to press govt: Tarique

BNP’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman has appealed to the supporters to remain active to force the government to agree to the opposition’s demand for a caretaker government.

He was speaking at a meeting of BNP leaders in London on Tuesday.

Tarique severely criticised the Awami League-led government, claiming that family members of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were involved in the Padma bridge project scam.

This is Tarique’s first public meeting in five years, although, according to BNP leaders, he had attended several closed-door party meetings.

Tarique, the eldest son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, was elected to the party's second highest position during his stay in London.

He was scheduled to address another meeting ahead of the one in East London’s Palm Tree Restaurant.

But police stopped the programme at Dockland Crown Plaza after a fight broke out among the participants. Tarique then addressed the meeting at Palm Tree restaurant.

He urged the BNP activists to unite and mentioned how the strength of grassroots level activists had kept the party together after the Jan 11, 2007 political changeover.

Tarique asked the leaders to express difference of opinion only through and at the party’s forum.

He mentioned a recent poll by Bengali Daily Prothom Alo saying, “A poll by a newspaper recently showed that people of the country want the election to take place under a caretaker government. Ninety percent of the country’s people want polls under a caretaker government.”

The BNP stalwart raised allegations of corruption against the government saying,” A Canadian television channel recently interviewed Sheikh Hasina. They showed how her family and the government are immersed in corruption.”

“She (Sheikh Hasina) said herself that none from her family is involved in corruption. This is like admitting to theft before you are accused”

“Sheikh Hasina recently made some ‘un-parliamentary’ comment in Parliament, to say there is something fishy going on. We are also saying now there is something fishy here.”

Tarique addressed the leaders and activists abroad saying, “You are all aware of the ongoing issues in the country.”

“We no longer have time to sit around. We all have to be active from our positions to ensure a free and fair election takes place under a caretaker government.”

He advised party followers to portray Bangladesh’s situation to UK politicians.

“Inform the MPs in your localities. Inform the other politicians, who are there, too.”

Tarique gasped at one point of his long speech and said, “My health is not well as it used to be.” The leaders urged him to deliver his speech sitting, as soon as he made the statement.

Tarique left the country for London in 2008 after he was granted bail following his arrest during the state of emergency in 2007. Accused in at least a dozen cases including for corruption, he has not returned to the country ever since.

He is widely believed to have run a government parallel to his mother’s 2001-6 corruption-tainted administration at Khaleda’s Hawa Bhaban political office and a successor to his mother, who was considered the most powerful politician in the country until the state of emergency .