Khaleda urges govt not to make secret deal
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia Tuesday urged the government to arrange debates on issues of national interest in parliament instead of entering into any secret deal, reports UNB.
"We'll extend cooperation in making the parliament effective," she said with a note of warning that they would wage a mass movement if any decision was taken harming the national interest or against the interest of the people.
Addressing the party's 5th National Council on the premises of Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city, Khaleda said: "We never ever entered into any deal compromising on the interests of the people and the state. We'll build up mass resistance if others ini-tiate any move to sign a deal against the interest of the nation."
She said the government's "go alone" policies on important issues like the killing of army officers, demarcation of maritime boundary, leasing out offshore oil and gas blocks, construction of India's Tipaimukh dam, giving corridor to India in the guise of Asian Highway and withdrawal of army from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) had created doubts among the people.
The former Prime Minister said the present government kept mum despite killing of Bangladeshi people along the border. On the other hand, ministers' statements favouring Tipaimukh dam and giving corridor to India had made the people scared.
In her nearly one and half-hour's opening statement, the BNP chief urged the government to "give the deserved privilege to the opposition, allow them to speak out for the people and discard the tactics of unwarranted false allegations, false cases, harassment and repression."
Announcing a 19-point programme to bring about qualitative change in BNP, Khaleda said misrule had been imposed afresh on the nation and the BNP would have to be prepared for a tough movement.
The 19-point programme include strengthening the democratic institutions; establishing rule of law; strongly dealing with corruption, terrorism and injustice; turning population to human resources for employment at home and abroad; and training skilled manpower by initiating programmes in modern technology and IT sector.
The programmes also envisage utilisation of every inch of land to attain self-sufficiency in food, re-excavation of canals, incentives for local industries, spreading education among rural people, and micro-credit for setting small and medium industries.
Khaleda said thousands of Indians and Sri Lankans were working in Bangladesh on employment visa and drawing salary in foreign currency. Steps would have to be taken so that Bangladesh citizens could get similar opportunity in those countries.
"We'll extend cooperation in making the parliament effective," she said with a note of warning that they would wage a mass movement if any decision was taken harming the national interest or against the interest of the people.
Addressing the party's 5th National Council on the premises of Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city, Khaleda said: "We never ever entered into any deal compromising on the interests of the people and the state. We'll build up mass resistance if others ini-tiate any move to sign a deal against the interest of the nation."
She said the government's "go alone" policies on important issues like the killing of army officers, demarcation of maritime boundary, leasing out offshore oil and gas blocks, construction of India's Tipaimukh dam, giving corridor to India in the guise of Asian Highway and withdrawal of army from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) had created doubts among the people.
The former Prime Minister said the present government kept mum despite killing of Bangladeshi people along the border. On the other hand, ministers' statements favouring Tipaimukh dam and giving corridor to India had made the people scared.
In her nearly one and half-hour's opening statement, the BNP chief urged the government to "give the deserved privilege to the opposition, allow them to speak out for the people and discard the tactics of unwarranted false allegations, false cases, harassment and repression."
Announcing a 19-point programme to bring about qualitative change in BNP, Khaleda said misrule had been imposed afresh on the nation and the BNP would have to be prepared for a tough movement.
The 19-point programme include strengthening the democratic institutions; establishing rule of law; strongly dealing with corruption, terrorism and injustice; turning population to human resources for employment at home and abroad; and training skilled manpower by initiating programmes in modern technology and IT sector.
The programmes also envisage utilisation of every inch of land to attain self-sufficiency in food, re-excavation of canals, incentives for local industries, spreading education among rural people, and micro-credit for setting small and medium industries.
Khaleda said thousands of Indians and Sri Lankans were working in Bangladesh on employment visa and drawing salary in foreign currency. Steps would have to be taken so that Bangladesh citizens could get similar opportunity in those countries.