In a counter attack on the Prime Minister (PM) for calling BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and senior vice president Tarique Rahman killers, BNP has branded Sheikh Hasina as a killer, saying her hands are stained with the blood of several hundred youths, reports UNB.
"Awami League is a killer party and its president Sheikh Hasina is a killer, too. Her hands are stained with the blood of several hundred innocent youths of the country," said BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The BNP spokesman made the allegation on Sunday at a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office. The press meet was arranged to give the party's formal reaction to the PM's recent remarks against Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman.
Fakhrul further alleged that the government, being isolated from people, has established an undeclared one-party Baksal rule by enacting various anti-people laws and policies one after another, snatching press freedom, stifling the judiciary and politicising the administration.
He said the PM's comments involving Khaleda and Tarique in the August 21 grenade attack are not only influencing the trial process, but also creating confusion.
Earlier on Thursday, Sheikh Hasina, addressing a discussion at Bangabandhu Avenue, said, "While Zia (Ziaur Rahman) was involved in the August 15, 1975 assassination, the then Prime Minister and BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, her son (Tarique Rahman), her cabinet members were directly involved in the August 21, 2004 incident."
Sharply reacting to the PM's comments, Fakhrul said: "Her remarks are totally false, fabricated and politically motivated... the remarks of the 'illegal' Prime Minister about an under-trial case are also tantamount to contempt of court."
Describing the August 21 grenade attack as a heinous and despicable incident, Fakhrul said they also want that the offenders are being identified through a fair investigation and given exemplary punishment. "But we can't support anyone if he or she tries to give the incident a political colour to derive narrow political gains," he said.
He said they after the incident of the 21 August had strongly condemned it and the then authorities concerned tried to identify the real culprits through investigation and even taken the help of Scotland Yard and FBI.
The BNP leader alleged that Sheikh Hasina did not cooperate with the foreign investigating agencies and the judicial probe body hampering the investigation.
He said the PM is now making baseless remarks against Khaleda and Tarique out of her political vengeance to malign them.
"They also want to remove their big hurdle by making our leaders (Khaleda) and Tarique ineligible for election through punishing them in false cases."
Fakhrul also came down hard on the PM for her reported comments that BNP is a terrorist party, Khaleda and Tarique killers, and January-5 election boycott agitation was nothing but a blood-taking movement.
