BNP also denied any involvement in the arson attacks on buses in Dhaka on November 12
Senior BNP leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Saturday claimed Bangladesh was gradually becoming a “heap of destruction” due to the government’s “dictatorship.”
“Democracy has ended in Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian rule. Sheikh Hasina now means the constitution, now she is everything and everything is hers,” he said, reports UNB.
Speaking at a voluntary blood donation program, the BNP leader also said democracy means different people can express their opinions.
"In a democracy, words like ‘I’ and ‘my’ are never acceptable. Democracy means ‘our’, ‘us’ and ‘majority.’ Democracy does not mean one person’s opinion and one person’s authority. What is now going on here is an authoritarian system that has gone beyond a dictatorship,” Gayeshwar said.
“The country is turning into a heap of destruction under the rule of a single person who has a despotic mentality. Before the ruination of the country, you have [BNP activists] have to be active and take to the streets to restore democracy by removing autocracy,” the BNP leader added.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal arranged the program on the ground floor of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office to mark the 56th birth anniversary of Tarique Rahman, acting BNP chairman.
Gayeshwar, a BNP standing committee member, greeted Tarique on his birthday and wished him good health and wellbeing.
He alleged that the acting chairman has long been staying in London for treatment, as he was subjected to both the physical and mental torture.
The BNP leader urged party leaders and activists, including Chhatra Dal, to work sincerely as per the people’s hopes and aspirations in order to ensure a congenial atmosphere for the safe homecoming of Tarique.
He also called upon Chhatra Dal leaders and activists to get ready to shed blood on the streets and wage a strong movement like in 1971, to free the nation from “misrule” and “restore democracy” in the country.
Tarique was born on November 20, 1965 in Bogura. On September 11, 2008, he went to London for treatment and he has been living there with his family since then.
BNP denies arson attack involvement
In a press statement also issued on Saturday, BNP denied any involvement in the arson attacks on buses in Dhaka on November 12.
BNP strongly condemns and protests the statement by law enforcement agencies that alleges the attacks were carried out at the directive of the party, said the press release signed by BNP Organizing Secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince.
“The BNP does not believe in destructive politics, like arson. As in the past, the government wants to impose responsibility on BNP even though the party has nothing to do with the incidents. Arrests and brutal repression is being carried out with conspiratorial false cases filed against more than a hundred BNP leaders and activists,” it added.
“The government is engaged in such malpractices for the purpose of confusing the people and humiliating BNP. The BNP is deeply concerned about this kind of tactic of the government. This is just a repetition of drama arranged by the government,” the statement further said.
Earlier on Saturday, detectives arrested three people from the Paltan area of Dhaka in connection with recent arson attacks on buses in different parts of the capital.
The arrestees were identified as Mohammad Lian Haque, 30, a Jubo Dal activist, Kazi Rezaul Haque Babu alias Jim Babu, 28, former joint secretary of Paltan unit Chhatra Dal and Mohammad Azad, 28, an activist of Jubo Dal.
In a press conference, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner (DB) AKM Hafiz Akhter said police learned in primary interrogation that the arrestees carried out the attacks in a bid to destabilize the country at the directives of BNP leaders
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