BNP supports just cause of students, teachers: Fakhrul

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Monday that his party did not provoke the students' ongoing quota reform movement. Rather, BNP is just extending support to their just cause.
"We see this movement in two perspectives. One, this movement is being created just to divert public attention from the country's main problems. On the other, we hold similar views with the students' demands."
"The country's students are now united for realising their demands, which inspires us," he told the journalists at the party chairperson's political office in the capital's Gulshan area after visiting Begum Khaleda Zia at Evercare Hospital.
Regarding the ongoing movement of the public university teachers against their inclusion in the government's universal pension scheme, he opined that their demands are logical.
About Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's China visit, Mirza Fakhrul said, "The government is suffering from financial crunch due to looting and corruption."
"Now it wants to manage by borrowing money from others. People are being pushed to debt trap just for the government's corrupt quarters," he continued.
Regarding Khaleda Zia's health condition, he said the party chairperson was taken to Evercare Hospital at 4:00 am on Monday due to sudden deterioration of her health.
"She is now taken to hospital very frequently. She is under 24-hour observation of doctors," he maintained.
"If the government releases her unconditionally, we (BNP) will bear her medical treatment costs. But the government is not releasing her unconditionally, rather pushing her to death. We're repeatedly demanding her release, but the government is ignoring our request."
"Khaleda Zia's unconditional release has become a national demand. We'll continue our peaceful movement for her unconditional release," he noted.
Meanwhile, the BNP secretary general, in a statement, warned the government of not fulfilling its dream to remain in power for a long term.
He said the country's people would not allow the ruling Awami League to realise its dream of holding onto power according to its will.
"Awami League has become more imbalanced and oppressive after the January 7 dummy election, as the party does not have any public support."
Mirza Fakhrul alleged the government of resorting to extreme level of torture and suppression on the opponents, including BNP leaders and activists, just to hold on to power.
It has become the government's main target to send the opposition activists to jail by not giving them bail and awarding jail terms in false cases, he noted.
"I express deep concern over continuous imprisonment of leaders and activists of the opposition parties, including BNP. It's done by denying bail by the courts in false and fabricated cases, filed by the government."

[email protected]