It’s hard to fool people now, Fakhrul tells Imam

The BNP has said that the prime minister’s political advisor HT Imam’s claim of being misquoted by the media is unacceptable.

BNP’s acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said, “It’s not easy these days to just blame the media and fool the people when everything can be recorded and put up on Youtube within minutes.”

Fakhrul reacted after Imam at a press briefing earlier in the day claimed the media reported only a part of a remark he had recently made.

At a programme in Dhaka University last week, Imam, speaking on the Jan 5 national election, said, “I’ve been to many Upazilas for the election and have listened to our people there. They are with us … they’ve given us everything.”

Imam, also an Awami League Advisory Council member, said at the event hosted by the Bangladesh Chhatra League organised event that he would ‘see’ that members of the ruling party student wing got government jobs after passing the written tests.

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Amid criticisms from both the BNP and his own party, Imam, in a bid to offer clarifications, called a press conference on Monday at the Awami League chief’s office at Dhanmondi.

He claimed his remark had not been reported in its entirety and that a certain group was misusing his comment in its campaign against the government.

Later in the day, at a discussion at the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh at Ramna, Fakhrul, said, “HT Imam’s remarks on Jan 5 polls have let the cat get out of the bag. He has leaked out everything.”

The BNP spokesperson also protested Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s remarks made on Sunday when she called the critics of the last general election 'imbeciles'.

"I would like to ask the prime minister whether the US, UK and others are all imbeciles. The prime minister has lost ground under her feet. She is standing on quicksand."

Fakhrul also warned that the Awami League-led government would face 'dire' consequences, if it did not hold the next polls under a non-partisan administration.

He also criticised the inclusion of BNP leaders Sylhet Mayor Ariful Haq Chowdhury and Habiganj Municipal Mayor Golam Kibria Gaus in the supplementary charge sheet in former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria's murder case.

"The government is not leaving any space for democracy. The opposition leaders are being accused in false cases. The government's goal is to send the elected mayors behind bars to establish a one-party rule," added the BNP acting secretary general.