Suranjit urges British PM to admit Tarique to a mental hospital

Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta has urged the British prime minister to get Tarique Rahman, who is 'under treatment' in London, admitted to a 'mental hospital' immediately.

The BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s elder son went to Britain to undergo medical treatment in 2008. The senior Awami League parliamentarian was of the view that Tarique's treatment in London was not on course.

"What Tarique said cannot be the statement of a person who is in the right state of mind," Sengupta said at a discussion in Dhaka on Friday.

"We urge the British Prime Minister David Cameron to get the crazy boy admitted to a mental institution immediately. If that's not possible, send him to Bangladesh.

“We will provide him proper treatment."

The BNP senior vice-chairman has sparked off fresh controversy by terming Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a 'Razakar' at a ceremony in London on Dec 15.

Several cases were filed against Tarique across the country over his comment. An arrest warrant has also been issued in one of these cases.

Tarique claimed that it would not have taken nine months to defeat the Pakistani forces had Sheikh Mujibur Rahman started the war on Mar 7, 1971 with the help of the Bengali army officers.

According to him, the "small number" of Pakistani soldiers posted in Bangladesh then could have been easily defeated and the death toll and economic damage "could have been much less".

"After knowing all this, who can we solely blame? Sheikh Mujib. And we have called him a 'Razakar' after analysing the facts. We have labelled him Pakbandhu (friend of Pakistan) on the basis of actual incidents," said the BNP leader.

Sengupta thinks Tarique's words were 'suicidal' for BNP.

"In Bangladesh, the BNP politics is about distorting history and it has history of political distortion. Ziaur Rahman was engaged in the practice which her wife Khaleda Zia continued and now her son is doing it too," he said.