Indian media involved in AL orchestrated campaign against CA: Press secretary

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Saturday accused the "fallen" Bangladesh Awami League (AL) of carrying out an "orchestrated campaign" against Chief Adviser (CA) Prof Muhammad Yunus portraying him as a "militant leader" surrounded by militants, reports UNB.

"Look at their messages - their message is 3000 police died, their message is Yunus is a militant leader; their message is Yunus is surrounded by militant leaders. It is a very well-orchestrated campaign," Alam said, adding that the India media is also involved in this campaign.

Pointing finger at the AL people, the Press Secretary said Hasina's (Sheikh Hasina's) oligarchs are spending millions of dollars to create a new narrative challenging the July mass uprising in their efforts to make the global community understand that it was not an uprising but a big conspiracy.

The Press Secretary was speaking at a launching ceremony of a book titled "Droher Graffiti - Graffiti of Treachery: The Mass Uprising of 24' by BSS journalist GM Rajib Hossain at Jatiya Press Club as the special guest.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi was the chief guest at the event. JPC President and Editor of the Daily Kaler Kantho poet Hasan Hafiz presided over the event. Senior Journalists Quader Gani Chowdhury, Syed Abdal Ahmed and others spoke at the event.

Press Secretary Alam said the Awami League and the "fallen autocracy, the mother of thieves and the mother of disappearances" want to challenge the narrative of Bangladesh.

Referring to Dr Yunus' decades of public life and his global repute, he said they need to document all the incidents.

Alam said they, through research, will let all know the facts and hold seminars in all the campuses so that "fallen autocrat and her followers" cannot make a return.

The Press Secretary referred to the period after the 1971 Liberation struggle to 1972 and observed that they were weak in documentation.

Stating that Dr Yunus has called on everyone to remain calm, Alam said their job is to highlight the horrors of 15 years through research. "We will hold seminars in every campus. We will write the injustices she had done on every wall, so that the dictatorship that fell in Bangladesh and its associates cannot return. We have to do this."

On the other hand, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has accused India of directly interfering in Bangladesh's sovereignty by allowing Sheikh Hasina a 'freehand' to speak.

"India may have provided her shelter, but from there, she is inciting unrest, trying to create anarchy, and Indian policymakers are supporting her. This is really strange," he said while speaking at a book launch event on Saturday.

He said such a position by another state on an independent democratic nation is a gross violation of all international norms and principles.

Rizvi went on to say, "I am surprised that in a democratic country like India, some journalists and the media are making such shameless statements, just like Sheikh Hasina did, siding with those fascists. It seems that the hidden treasure they have accumulated for a long time has been lost."

"Not only Sheikh Hasina but also the policymakers in India cannot tolerate the practice of democracy in Bangladesh, the possibility of development in a democratic state! Why is this? We cannot expect this from a democratic country," the BNP leader lamented.

Rizvi questioned, "Some Indians are saying that Bangladesh will no longer exist. How can Indian policymakers tolerate the idea that a neighboring independent country will cease to exist?"

The BNP senior leader also urged people to stay vigilant against the threat of counter-revolution. "We, all of us who support democratic forces, must take cautious steps so that no one can take advantage of any anarchy. We must also remember that the counter-revolution always lurks, and we must not allow it to take hold."

He emphasized that the mistakes made after the revolutions in various countries should not be repeated. He believed that if these lessons were learned, there would never be a counter-revolution again.

Rizvi said that the country would progress along the path of democracy and would not accept anything that was anti-national, anti-democratic, or detrimental to sovereignty.

"We will never accept anything that goes against what Bengalis' history and culture represents, and we will never tolerate interference from others in advancing it. This is the way we must move forward. We must preserve the changes we have made through our efforts," he added.