The Bangladesh Nationalist Party's acting secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, on Thursday said that the government had 'resorted to repressive measures in a bid to establish a governing system sans the opposition'.
Taking a vow to continue with the 'tough street agitation programme to free the people from the government's misrule', he said that his party would announce fresh agitation programmes today [Thursday].
Mirza Fakhrul was addressing a media briefing at the party's central office in Naya Paltan on the second day of the 48-hour hartal called by the party and its allies in protest against the 15th Amendment.
The BNP spokesperson said the country was now in the 'gravest crisis' caused of the 'hotheadedness of the ruling Awami League'.
'The AL does not believe in democracy. It cannot tolerate the opposition and its political programme,' he said. 'That's why it has resorted to repressive measures to wipe out the opposition.'
Claiming the nationwide hartal to be 'successful', Fakhrul said, 'The government employed its police force and thugs to repress the opposition activists during the hartal.'
He told reporters that the government employed a new force called 'robot police' to harass the opposition activists.
He claimed that more then 550 BNP activists were arrested and some 675 leaders and activists were injured in 'attacks by police and ruling party thugs' in different parts of the country during first 36 hours of the hartal.
BNP alleged that some 65 opposition activists were sentenced to different terms of imprisonment by mobile courts during the hartal.
He demanded immediate release of the arrested leaders and activists and withdrawal of the 'false' cases filed against them.
He thanked the people for observing the first day of the hartal successfully. He also expressed regret for the inconveniences caused to the people due to the hartal.
He said that they were forced by the government to call hartal as the government did not allow them to organize other political programmes.
Terming the AL's election pledges 'trickery', he said, 'The government is out to implement its hidden agenda.'
Levelling a series of allegations against the government, he said, 'The government has trampled human rights by bring about the 15th Amendment.'
When asked about the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam's comments that hartal has been called for protecting Khaleda Zia's corrupt family and making the country a second Pakistan, Fakhrul said the government wants to divert public attention from its failure to solve the multifarious problems as well as divert the ongoing anti-government movement.
'They are playing their old cassette,' he added.
BNP leaders Abdullah Al Noman, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Amanullah Aman, Barrister Mahbubuddin Khokon MP, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Abdus Salam, Advocate Sanaullah Miah, Habibur Rahman Habib and Abdul Latif Johnny were present at the press briefing.
Source : New Age
