Khaleda refuses to thank Iajuddin

---

Blasting the two-year Fakhruddin administration for its "illegal rule and misdeeds", opposition leader BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia Tuesday urged the ruling Awami League not to give legitimacy to the past interim regime. Otherwise, she cautioned, people will not forgive them, report agencies.
"You must admit that advance announcement to give legitimacy to the Fakhruddin government was wrong," she told the ruling Awami League while delivering her speech on the thanks-giving motion on the President's address.
She said former President Professor Dr Iajuddin deserves no thanks as he grossly violated the sacred constitution and broke the oath sitting on the highest seat of the republic.
Khaleda said the armed forces had no role in the formation of the "barbaric" Fakhruddin regime, claiming that only a few ambitious persons were involved in the "conspiracy" tarnishing the image of the military.
"Moves were on to put the armed forces in a confrontational state with the people, and that conspiracy was not yet over," she said this while making her statement on the President's inaugural address to the new parliament, in her first formal speech disapproving of the two-year caretaker government formed after the 1/11 changeover
Khaleda, who was put in jail in what she called false and fabricated cases during the rule of the army-backed caretaker government, narrated in detail how that government "tortured politicians, tried to assassin their characters by using the media and pocketed money from businessmen."
She alleged that by using public money the Fakhruddin government captured power illegally, tried to split political parties and form new parties to prolong their hold on power by implementing "minus-two" formula.
The BNP chairperson and former prime minister said the caretaker government put pressure on her to leave the country, which she refused.
"The economy was put in a shambles, development efforts were halted, institutions destroyed and the two-year rule pushed the country 20 years back," Khaleda told the House.
She said the chief adviser and his advisers frequently visited foreign countries and unleashed campaign against the country, for which they should be tried.
In an oblique reference to Awami League, Khaleda said a political party stated that they would give legitimacy to all deeds of the caretaker government. "This announcement gave open licence to the unconstitutional government to do whatever they wished."
"Therefore, the present government cannot avoid liabilities of all misdeeds done by Fakhruddin's caretaker government," she said as her archrival Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was seen taking note for reply in her speech after Khaleda's.
On Iajuddin's speech, she said, "As Iajuddin had sent democracy into exile the JS as the sacred forum of nourishing democracy cannot extend any thanks to him," she said while taking part in general discussion on the thanks giving motion on President's speech at the inaugural session of the ninth parliament.
Expressing deep regret for her failure to give thanks to President Iajuddin, the Leader of the Opposition said, "This is because there is no such point in his speech that deserves thanks." Nonetheless, she said, the President's speech was full of contradictions, untrue and misleading facts and information.