Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ruled out chances of a dialogue with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia whose party has been enforcing a crippling blockade across Bangladesh.
Published : 14 Mar 2015, 01:28 PM
Hasina has blamed her bitter political rival Khaleda for the deaths during the BNP-led alliance’s agitations.
She dubbed the BNP chief a “murderer” and “leader of the militants” while speaking at an event in Dhaka on Saturday.
“What is there to talk about with her?” the prime minister asked.
Hasina’s comment came a day after Khaleda renewed her demand for a dialogue over a snap election under a ‘neutral body’.
She dubbed Khaleda’s statement “full of lies” and blamed her for boycotting the last general elections.
Violence since Jan 5 this year has claimed 121 lives, mostly in arson, with over a thousand people suffering burn injuries since Jan 5. Hundreds of vehicles have been damaged and torched.
Hasina hoped the people’s sufferings would end soon.
She questioned the effectiveness of the BNP-led alliance’s blockades and shutdowns which “did not have public support”.
“Even her supporters do not join these agitations,” the Awami League chief quipped.
“I will not allow her [Khaleda] to toy with the people’s lives as long as I’m alive,” she said.
In her Friday’s speech, Khaleda alleged the government had arrested BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed but the prime minister said the security forces were “still looking for him.”
Ahmed's family claimed plainclothesmen had picked him up from a house in Uttara last week but both police and RAB denied arresting or detaining him.
The prime minister also asked the BNP chairperson, wanted in corruption cases, to surrender before court.
“Otherwise, the government will be bound to obey the court’s order,” she warned.