Terming BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s attempt to come out of her residence and join the March for Democracy programme “a drama” staged by her, Awami League (AL) general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on Sunday claimed she had no intention of going to the party headquarters to join the march. “On Sunday, Opposition chief Khaleda Zia just staged a drama in the name of observing her programme. Actually, she had no intention to come out of her residence to join the march,” Ashraf said, while addressing a crowded news conference at AL chief Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office in the city.
Syed Asraful Islam, who is also the local government and rural development (LGRD) minister of the poll-time government, said, defending his remarks on what he dubbed Khaleda Zia’s drama: “Look, she was supposed to come out of her residence at10am, but she appeared at 3pm after putting on heavy make-up. It made it seem as though she was going to attend a party. This makes it clear that she staged a drama.”
He urged the Opposition chief Khaleda Zia not to stage such a drama in the name of observing a political programme. “The nation expects ‘very serious things’ from you (Khaleda), not drama,” he added.
Replying to a question, Syed Ashraful Islam said the members of law enforcement agencies have not put any obstacle on the way of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia coming out from her residence. Instead, the government has deployed a huge number of law enforcement personnel in front of her residence in a bid to provide security to her as per her earlier request to the government.
Criticising Khaleda Zia’s remarks to the law enforcement personnel who were deployed in front of her residence, Ashraf said the nation did not expect such comments from an Opposition chief.
Terming the Opposition’s march for democracy “a damp squib”, the AL general secretary claimed “they do not organise any democratic movement”. “They always announce political programmes but fail to observe them. Actually, they don’t know how to wage a democratic movement,” he claimed.
Claiming that the people of the country have rejected the Opposition’s “so- called” March for Democracy programme, Ashraf said the people have taken the right decision by not joining the BNP’s march.
He added that actually the BNP party had been founded at the Cantonment, and that is why they cannot organise any vigorous democratic movement. “There is no country anywhere in the world where democracy has been upheld by an autocratic ruler,” he added.
The AL leader made it clear that the Opposition would not be able to meet its demands by enforcing a programme such as the March for Democracy.
-With The Independent input
