Rizvi accuses Hasina of trying to push Khaleda to death

He calls for prayers as the BNP chairperson battles illness

Senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina made every effort to push BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to death.

Speaking at an event in Hathazari on Saturday, the senior joint secretary said Hasina considered Khaleda as “a thorn in her path”.

Rizvi drew attention to Khaleda’s current health condition, saying: “Since [Friday] we have heard her condition is critical. Our leader, who has safeguarded democracy, independence, sovereignty, and the rights of the people, has never left the country or abandoned her people.

“Despite threats from Moinuddin-Fakhruddin and Hasina’s conspiracies, she has remained on the soil of her country. May Allah grant her good health, and I ask you all to pray for her.”

He described Khaleda’s prison ordeal. “We saw her walk into the jail on television. Despite being imprisoned through false cases with cruel and harsh treatment, she could not be intimidated.

“But [Hasina] did not let her go. She regarded this country as her ancestral property, treated it as her personal possession, and considered the public’s money as her own.”

Rizvi added, “She thought [Khaleda] was an obstacle in her path. Therefore, she plotted every conspiracy to remove her from the world. From walking into jail to returning in a wheelchair, she has had to spend day after day in hospitals.”