'AL, JP out to grab Bangladesh'

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has said the Jatiya Party and the Awami League were out to grab Bangladesh, dubbing them dictators and hinting at an alliance between the two.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 20 Jan 2014, 06:26 PM
Updated : 20 Jan 2014, 07:42 PM

“Their (Awami League) activities show that they are a terrorist government. They are more dictatorial than dictators. They are the father of dictators,” she told a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on Monday.

Hussein Muhammad Ershad had been overthrown by Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia-led movement in 1990. Ershad’s Jatiya Party was in the Awami League-led Grand Alliance.

Before the elections, Jatiya Party had quit the alliance but Ershad was later appointed Special Envoy to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who formed a 49-member Cabinet after winning the Jan 5 polls that the BNP and its 17 allies had boycotted.

The BNP had been in the Opposition in 9th Parliament but the Jatiya Party has replaced them this time as it has no MP in the 10th Parliament.

Khaleda said, “Sheikh Hasina had gone to polls along with the Jamaat in 1986. Hasina was in the Opposition when Ershad was in the government. Ershad has rewarded her this time.”

Ershad had reversed his poll boycott decisions again and again, ‘fell sick’ and then got admitted to hospital. Khaleda termed this a drama.

“Ershad had staged many dramas ahead of the elections. Many say he was jailed. If so, why was he taken to the CMH? How could he manage to play golf?”

“I had been confined and not allowed to attend my programme. I could not come out of home. On the other hand, Ershad went from his house to the hospital. He played golf every day. People have seen through this drama.”

Accusing the previous Awami League government of corruption, Khaleda said, “All but one or two advisors are corrupt. Many of the ministers are also corrupt.”

“I want to know from the government how did they come to own thousands of crore of taka.”

About Awami League leaders’ criticism of the court verdict against her sons – Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Coco - over laundering money abroad, the BNP Chairperson said, “The people of this government have laundered money abroad.”

“We have all the accounts of money they have laundered abroad. I urge the people to stay alert to their corruption.”