Awami League asks BNP not to vitiate political atmosphere

While celebrating the third year in office, leaders of the ruling Awami League have accused the BNP of pushing the country towards violence and unrest, and cautioned them to refrain from doing so.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 Jan 2017, 06:59 PM
Updated : 5 Jan 2017, 07:37 PM

The Awami League leaders were addressing the public gatherings on Thursday organised to mark the third anniversary of the 10th Parliament that came into effect on Jan 5, 2014.

The day is observed as the "Victory of Democracy Day" by the Awami League while the BNP which had boycotted the 2014 general elections, observes the same day as "Death of Democracy Day."

Party veteran Amir Hossain Amu said, "Again they are trying to make it murky. They want to kill people in the name of agitations - the way they murdered innocent people with petrol bombs in 2015 in the name of observing black day of democracy." 

Presidium Member Abdur Razzak said, "We hope the BNP shall not revert back to extremism and vandalism. If they do, they will have to pay the ultimate price."

Having failed to foil elections in 2014 by boycotting it, the party had adopted protest agitations across the country in a bid to topple the government.

“Although the party failed even there, hundreds of lives were lost to violence related to the agitations,” Razzak told a rally at the Bangababdhu Avenue.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, who also addressed the same rally, said that the BNP had not learnt a lesson yet.

"You got good lessons twice. Yet, if you failed to learn the lesson, then in the elections of 2019 the people of Bengal will give you a lesson on democracy forever," he added.

This year the BNP observed black flag day across the country barring capital Dhaka on Jan 5. The Awami League went for organising two public meetings and rallies across the country as part of ‘Victory of Democracy Day’.

In Dhaka two mass gatherings were organised by Awami League.

The Dhaka Metropolitan North Awami League organised one at Russell Square in Dhanmondi while the Dhaka Metropolitan South Awami League organised another at Bangabandhu Avenue.

Party leaders including Amu, Razzak, central Joint General Secretary Mahbub-Ul-Alam Hanif, Advisory Council Member Mujaffar Hussain Poltu and others including the president of the Dhaka Metropolitan South Awami League Abul Hasnat and General Secretary Shah Alam Murad attended the Bangabandhu Avenue event.

Highlighting the significance of the day, Amu said that the BNP unleashed violence and murders in the name of protesting against the elections. He said that Hasina government has faced the situation with ‘rare efficiency’.

Hanif accused Khaleda Zia and BNP of taking to the streets with ‘false agenda’. He said that the party's leaders and workers were nowhere to be seen across the country despite their call for black flag day. "The people of the country have comprehensively rejected them" he said. 

Speaking at the Russell Square gathering, Presidium Member and Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam dared the BNP to test its acceptance among the masses by participating in the general elections of 2019.

"Participation in election is the only way to get into the power in a democracy. No one will make you sit on a throne if you come out of a cantonment all decked up in uniform and ride decorated cars," he advised.

Taking a jibe at Khaleda Zia, he said, "You have go out to the ground, go to the masses and beg for votes. The ones whom the people will elect will rule the country."

"What did you gain by boycotting elections and killing people? And what will you get in the future, you have to think on that," he said pointing at Khaleda.

Presidium Member and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Sahara Khatun, Joint General Secretaries Dipu Moni and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Dhaka Metropolitan North President AKM Rahmatullah and other important party functionaries were present at the meet.

Matia Chowdhury speaking at the meet said, "The nation is democratic, shall stay a democratic state and we shall give a befitting reply in a democratic process to the BNP-Jamaat alliance."

She also took potshots at Khaleda Zia saying that “she instigates other peoples’ sons to join in her protest rallies while she has her son abroad in safety.”

She said that the Narayanganj elections revealed the acceptance of the Awami League among the masses and went on to add, "The 2019 elections will prove your (Zia's) acceptance."