‘Continue movement’, Fakhrul quotes Khaleda as saying
A faction of the Jatiya Party (Zafar) arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the 6th death anniversary of its late chairman Kazi Zafar Ahmed. He died on August 27, 2015 at the age of 76.
Fakhrul hoped that Khaleda will again lead BNP after complete release from jail.
He said they have been working tirelessly and trying to reorganise the BNP rank and file to wage a movement. “The people of this country never got defeated. It may take time, but the victory of people is sure.”
The BNP leader urged the youth to come forward to restore democracy by ‘ousting’ the current ‘fascist regime through a movement.
“I see some sort of despair among you, but don’t find any reason to get frustrated. See the history as Awami League had been out of power for 21 years. Ershad had been in power for nine years while Ayub Khan for 12 years, but finally they had to quit. It’s not possible to stay in power going against people,” Fakhrul observed.
He said Awami leaders are now making remarks about Zia’s grave and his role in Liberation War as they have no other issue to talk about and they have nothing to give the nation since they have become politically ‘bankrupt’.
“The main issue is now vaccine as it’s necessary to save people. But you still couldn’t collect it even for four percent people. You’ve failed to vaccinate people. It’s better to make the health minister the astrology minister as he regularly talks about the vaccine arrival like an astrologist. The reality is that there’s no vaccine,” the BNP leader said.
He said the government is unable to collect the vaccine as it always looks for scopes to indulge in corruption and getting huge commission by procuring the vaccines.
Fakhrul said Awami League has established a one-party rule in disguise, but the journalists do not write about it by practising self-censorship. “Journalists are doing it in fear of being subjected to arrest and repression under the Digital Security Act. Our newspapers are now giving importance to unimportant issues like Pori Mini’s.”
He said the government has turned Bangladesh into an ‘authoritarian’ and ‘fascist’ state by obliterating democracy and ‘snatching’ all rights of people.
The BNP leader said the country’s existence and sovereignty are now at stake due to the ‘misrule’ and subservient foreign policy of the Awami League.
“Bangladeshis are being killed along the border for cattle smuggling and our ministers defend it saying the offenders must get punished. There’s no place in the world where people are killed in this manner for such a crime or crossing the border. Our government is so weak and subservient that it doesn’t dare to protest it,” he said.
The BNP leader said over a million Rohingyas have been staying in Bangladesh for nearly four years, but the government could not send any of them to their motherland Myanmar only because of its kneejerk foreign policy. “They don’t dare raise the issue with two countries–China and India–who can play the major role in resolving the problem.”
