BNP trying to do politics with BDR carnage again: PM

CHITTAGONG, Feb 26: Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina today said the main opposition BNP is trying to do politics with the BDR carnage again as it did not want to see peaceful solution to the crisis, reports BSS. "BNP did not want a peaceful solution to BDR carnage, rather it wanted to do politics with the incident that took place on February 25-26 in 2009 in its headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka," she said while exchanging views with AL leaders at the Circuit House here this afternoon. Sheikh Hasina said BNP Chief Begum Khaleda Zia left her cantonment residence in a black tainted car immediately after the BDR carnage and her whereabouts were unknown for the next three days. She even did not stay at her cantonment residence during the one and a half months after the BDR carnage. In this context, she said the leaders of AL-led 14-party alliance and parliament members of her party risking their lives tried to bring the situation under control. "During the time, BDR soldiers of at least 42 camps across the country revolted although our government handled the situation prudently," she added. Expressing her shock at the loss of lives of innocent army officials during the massacre, Sheikh Hasina said her government has provided all out support to the family members of the officers within its limited resources. She said her government is also implementing various development programmes across the country, especially in the port city of Chittagong. "We have already taken a comprehensive programme for the development of the port city," she added. The PM referred to various uplift projects undertaken by her government including construction of flyover, bridge over the Karnaphuli river, development of Coxs Bazar Airport, St. Martin's and Coxs Bazar as tourism spots. She said her government also has a plan to build a regional tourism hub involving Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh to attract foreign tourists. Referring to the activities of Chittagong Port, the lifeline of economic activities of the country, the PM called upon all concerned to extend their all out cooperation for smooth running of the port. On gas and power situation, she said her government has taken various pragmatic measurers to improve the situation. "We have already added 1150 MW electricity to the national grid while efforts have been made to explore for gas to meet the crisis." The PM blamed the BNP-Jamaat government for the crisis saying that "the leader of BNP did not take any initiative to improve the situation, rather they tried to improve their own fate by plundering public money." UNB adds from Chittagong: Sheikh Hasina has rebuked the party's Chittagong city unit leaders for their internecine quarrel. "Internal conflicts never bring any good result. You should learn from the recent City Corporation election results," she said during an opinion-exchange meeting with the local leaders at the Circuit House Saturday afternoon. Drawing attention of the senior AL leaders of the port city, Hasina said that in AL nobody is leader. "We all, including myself, are just workers of the party."