Khaleda a big threat to politics, says Hasan

Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said on Wednesday BNP chairperson Khaleda is a big threat to the country's politics as her party does not believe in people's welfare, report agencies.

"The politics is for the welfare of the common people, not for making people suffer, but BNP had made people hostage for a long time enforcing [road] blockades and killed many people with petrol bombs and arson attacks," he said.

The minister further said, "He (Fakhrul) said democracy is dysfunctional without the release of Khaleda Zia. I would like to say Begum Khaleda Zia is a serious threat to politics."

Dr Hasan came up with the remarks while unveiling the cover of a book titled 'Sangbadikota Raat Biraate' written by Mahfuzur Rahman, Editor of United News of Bangladesh (UNB), at the National Press Club in the city.

He said the current government always welcomes criticism as it wants to establish a democratic society based on logic and argument.

"But Khaleda Zia and her party don't believe it, and they exposed it through the August-21 grenade attack and their efforts to divert the brutal incident to a different direction."

The minister came down hard on BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir for his remark that the ruling party is plundering public money in the name of development.

He urged Fakhrul to see his own face in the mirror.

He said around 15 million people in the country have risen to the middle class from the lower class over the last 10 years while poverty rate has come down to 20 per cent from 41 per cent and Bangladesh has turned into a middle-income country.