Politics
Khaleda receives 2nd dose of Covid vaccine
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia received the second dose of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, 30 days after taking the first one.
She took the vaccine shot at Sheikh Russel Gastroliver Institute and Hospital in the city’s Mohakhali area around 4:15pm.
Like the first dose, the BNP chief was given the second shot in her vehicle amid the gathering of BNP leaders and activists.
Read: Khaleda takes 1st dose of Covid vaccine
Earlier on July 19, Khaleda took the first dose of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at the same hospital.
She registered online through Surokkha app for getting the vaccine on July 8.
On April 11, the 76-year-old BNP chief tested positive for Covid-19 and she was admitted to Evercare Hospital on April 27.
She tested negative for Covid-19 on May 8, 27 days after she had been infected with the deadly virus.
Read: Khaleda to receive 2nd dose of Covid vaccine today
On June 19, Khaleda Zia got back home from the hospital after 53 days of treatment for Covid infections and other physical complications.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the government temporarily freed Khaleda Zia from jail through an executive order suspending her sentences on March 25 last year.
Bid to implicate Zia in Bangabandhu killing a political vengeance: Fakhrul
Condemning Law Minister’s statement on Zia’s link to Bangabandhu killing, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said it is the government’s ill-effort to mislead people out of political vengeance.
“We (BNP) think the government is trying to mislead people by distorting history and falsehood only because of political retaliation. Such propaganda is just an attempt to hide facts,” said the BNP secretary general at a press conference.
Law Minister Anisul Haque said on Thursday said Ziaur Rahman was involved in the assassination of Bangabandhu and the evidence on it will be made public.
“The evidence of Ziaur Rahman's involvement in the assassination will be made public through a commission,” the minister said.
Read: Workers’ lives have little value to govt: Fakhrul
Talking about repeated incidents of vessel crashes under Parma Bridge, Mirza Fakhrul said the movement of ferries should have been shifted earlier from the Shimulia-Banglabazar route to avoid such incidents.
"It's a matter of common sense. The current is very strong in the river and it’s very natural that water vessels might get slightly diverted from course during this time,” he said.
“However, the situation has created a great opportunity for the ruling party and their men. They might try building a new ferry terminal all together citing the crisis. This would give them a chance to embezzle crores of taka in the new project,” Fakhrul said.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) on Friday night requested passengers to use Paturia ferry terminal, instead of Shimulia, to cross the mighty Padma River.
Read: Govt deceiving people over Covid vaccines: BNP
BIWTC authorities claimed that the ferry crisis on Shimulia-Banglabazar route is the reason for diverting vehicles to Paturia-Daulatdia route.
On Friday night, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader hinted that any one of Shimulia or Banglabazar ferry terminals might be shifted elsewhere to reduce the chances of such accidents.
In the past two months, at least five such accidents have happened in the district.
GM Quader demands Tk 10,000 monthly checks for jobless families
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday demanded the government provide Tk 10,000 per month to each family of those who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, he said, “Several crore family members of those who become unemployed due to the pandemic are not in good conditions. So, it has become imperative for the government to provide Tk 10,000 per month to each of those families.”
GM Quader said the government must stand by the people who are facing serious financial crisis at this critical time of the pandemic.
Read: Govt losing trust with ministers’ ‘funny’ remarks: GM Quader
Referring to various research findings, he said the living standards of about two and a half crore people have fallen below the poverty line during the corona period where there were around three and a half crore poor people in the country before the pandemic.
The Jatiya Party chairman said the government’s allocation for helping the poor and helpless people is too inadequate.
Analysing the annual government support in an electoral constituency having 3,33,166 inhabitants, he said around 1,09,945 people (around 33 percent) of this area are poor as per the official statistics.
Read: Mass vaccination only solution to Covid crisis: GM Quader
“The government gave the cash assistance of TK 1,19,42,070 to the area in financial year 2020-2021. Foodgrains worth Tk 88,99,679 were distributed alongside baby food and animal fodder in the same area and the total allocation was Tk 2,10,41,749. So, the per capita allocation was Tk 191 per year and only Tk16 per month. How can a poor person live with only Tk16 per month government assistance?
The Jatiya Party chairman said the government passed a budget of around Tk 6,50,000 crore for the financial year 2021-22 in parliament, but the condition of the owners of that money is deplorable.
“So, I demand the government provide financial assistance of Tk 10,000 per month to each family (of the unemployed people) until the situation becomes normal. If the money is distributed among two crore families in a transparent manner, it will be a great help for the poor. It will cost only Tk20,000 crore per month.”
Mismanagement, politicization made vaccination drive a complete mess: BNP
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday alleged that the government has politicised the mass vaccination programme by deceiving the common people.
"Our standing committee thinks the government has indulged in mass deception in the name of mass vaccination without collecting enough vaccine doses. The mass vaccination campaign has become a drive to spread mass infection due to extreme mismanagement and politicisation,” he said.
Fakhrul came up with the remarks while unveiling the decisions of a virtual meeting of BNP standing committee at a press conference at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office. The meeting was held on Saturday evening.
Also read: Covid mortality rate high for lack of treatment: BNP
He said their party policymakers urged the government to take effective measures to ensure general vaccination coming out of the process of ‘politicisation’. “We strongly condemn and protest the involvement of ruling party workers in the mass vaccination programme.”
Reopen educational institutions with rigid health protocols: BNP
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday demanded the government reopen all the educational institutions immediately with rigid health protocols in place.
“The damage done to education during this corona time is colossal. The problems that have arisen in the field of education are also affecting our economy, politics and potentials,” he said during a virtual discussion.
The BNP leader said, “So, it’s necessary to immediately form a national commission with educationalists, guardians and students. The educational institutions need to be reopened immediately with proper planning in accordance with the health safety rules.”
He said the academic activities in educational institutions can be resumed by introducing a shifting system and formulating different curricula.
Read: Reopening factories a 'suicidal' decision: BNP
BNP arranged the virtual discussion meeting on the disrupted education system during Covid-19 and the future of the nation. Party’s education affairs secretary and Dhaka University teacher Prof ABM Obaidul Islam presented the keynote paper at the programme.
Fakhrul said the current government is very reluctant about people and their problems since it is not elected by them. “In fact, this is a fraudulent government. They’re deceiving people over every issue to divert their attention to a different direction from the original problems.”
He also said the government has been lying since the beginning of the Covid problem to hide the real situation as it has no commitment and accountability to people.
The BNP leader said many people, including the teachers of private educational institutions, have become unemployed since the Corona outbreak. “But the government has completely neglected them. Several lakh teachers who used to run private educational institutions like kindergartens, including in the villages, lost their jobs as those have been shut down.”
Read: Workers’ lives have little value to govt: Fakhrul
BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the country’s education system has become a victim of local and international plots. “Our education sector has suffered a serious setback due to the lack of sincerity of the government. We’ve to bear this loss for the next 20 years.”
He said there is no justified reason to keep the educational institutions shut when factories and shops and markets are open.
BNP standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dr Abul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Selima Rahman and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, among others, spoke at the programme.
Covid mortality rate high for lack of treatment: BNP
BNP on Friday alleged that the country has been witnessing a high mortality rate from the Covid-19 pandemic for lack of proper treatment and adequate oxygen supply in the hospitals at the district and upazila levels.
“Coronavirus-hit different districts and upazilas have become death valleys for lack of proper treatment. There is no ICU, necessary oxygen supply and medicine there,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
He came up with the allegation while talking to reporters after placing wreaths at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave together with the leaders of Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), marking its 32nd founding anniversary.
Rizvi said the government got enough time to improve the healthcare facilities in the district and upazila hospitals to tackle the Covid pandemic, but it did not do that.
“Why is oxygen not supplied to hospitals at the district level? Why there is no necessary medicine there? The reason is the government’s main focus is on indulging in corruption instead of saving the lives of people,” he observed.
The BNP leader also accused the government of staging dramas over the Covid vaccine procurement and mass vaccination programme.
He said the government first announced to intensify mass vaccination drive by providing one crore doses of vaccine within seven says, but they are now repeatedly changing their decisions.
Rizvi also alleged that some ruling party leaders made huge money through corruption in the process of procuring vaccines.
He also said a syndicate is interfering in the procurement of everything relating to the coronavirus. “The entire health system has been destroyed through corruption and irregularities. There have been huge discussions about the corruption in the health sector and every process of procurement, but the government is not taking any action in this regard.”
Meanwhile, BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku alleged that the government is not sincere in eradicating coronavirus from the country.
“This government does not want to eliminate corona from the country. The government would have taken more initiatives had it wanted to get rid of the virus. They think it matters little if 4-5 lakh people out of 18 crore die of corona,” he said.
Tuku made the remarks while virtually inaugurating BNP’s Covid-19 help centre in Gazipur District.
He said their party leaders and activists across the country are standing by people to assuage their sufferings induced by the Covid pandemic.
Govt keeping media busy with ‘dramas to hide failures’: BNP
BNP on Thursday alleged that the government is keeping the media busy staging various dramas in the name of recovery of liquors and drugs only to hide its failure to tackle the Covid satiation.
“They (govt) are staging many dramas and our journalists and television channels and social media are busy with those. As if the recovery of liquor and Yaba pills from people's houses is now the major news amid the pandemic,” said BNP standing committee member Iaqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.
Read: Reopening factories a 'suicidal' decision: BNP
He said, “The infections and fatalities caused by corona have spiked in the country. Many people are dying every day. So, they’re trying to divert attention by bringing the recovery of liquor bottles, Yaba pills and LSD and other drugs in the limelight.”
Tuku came up with the remarks while virtually inaugurating BNP’s Covid-19 help centre in Thakurgaon district as the chief guest. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also joined the programme.
Fakhrul only thanked the leaders of his electoral areas instead of making any political statement.
Tuku, the convener of BNP’s coronavirus monitoring cell, said some people have long been indulging in anti-social activities without any resistance. “Why have they not been able to detect these people for so long? Why’re these things coming to the fore sight at this time of corona crisis?”
On Wednesday, Rapid Action Battalion members detained actress Pori Moni and film producer and actor Nazrul Islam Raz in separate raids on their flats in the capital. The elite force also recovered huge liquor bottles and drugs from the two houses.
Meanwhile, police arrested two models Faria Mahbub Piasha and Mou Akter from their houses on August 2 with liquor, Yaba, and shisha.
About Covid situation, Tuku said the Awami League government has completely failed to tackle the Covid situation and ensure proper treatment for people.
“People are now facing serious difficulties in receiving treatment in the overwhelmed hospitals across the country. “Patients are sent to Dhaka from rural areas as hospitals in districts are packed. There’re inadequate oxygen cylinders in districts hospitals,” he observed.
Under such a situation, the BNP leader said, their party leaders and activists are standing beside people by opening Covid-19 help centres in every district across the country.
Dhaka city BNP bodies to help- bring positive changes in politics: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday hoped that the new convening committees of their party’s Dhaka south and north units will play a pivotal role in bringing positive changes in politics.
“People across the country have high expectations from the two committees formed with tested leaders. We hope they’ll bring about qualitative changes in Bangladesh politics,” he said.
The BNP leader said, “We also hope they’ll play their role in restoring democracy removing the current undemocratic government which is destroying all our hopes and aspirations.”
Fakhrul made the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with the leaders of newly-formed convening committees of BNP’s Dhaka south and north units at his Uttara residence.
Read: Workers’ lives have little value to govt: Fakhrul
He asked the convening committees to quickly reorganise their organisations for the formation of full-fledged committees of the two units through councils.
On Monday, the party announced fresh convincing committees for its Dhaka south and north units by dissolving the existing ones.
Party chairperson’s adviser and freedom fighter Abdus Salam made the convener of a 49-member convening committee of Dhaka south city unit BNP while Jubo Dal leader Rafiqul Alam Mojnu its member secretary.
BNP chairperson’s another adviser and ex-Ducsu VP Amanullah Aman was made the convener of a 47-member convening committee of the party's Dhaka north city unit while ex-national footballer Aminul Islam its member secretary.
Read: Govt deceiving people over Covid vaccines: BNP
Meanwhile, leaders of the two committees started their organisational activities at their office at Bhasani Bhaban in the city’s Nayapaltan area in the afternoon.
BNP organising secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince welcomed the Dhaka city leaders as they visited the party’s Nayapltan central office.
Workers’ lives have little value to govt: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday alleged that a chaotic situation has been created by reopening RMG factories amid the ongoing lockdown as workers’ lives have no value to the government.
"RMG workers went through extreme sufferings while joining thier jobs. The government has created a messy situation by allowing the workers to go home and again bringing them back to work. Their lives seem to have no value,” he said.
Speaking at a virtual discussion, the BNP leader said the government whimsically allowed the workers to go home amid Covid transmission before Eid-ul-Azha and thus helped spread the virus across the country. “They now asked them to come back amid the lockdown. The workes returned to Dhaka from Mymensingh, Manikganj, Munshiganj and other areas on foot to join their jobs. This is too much.”
Read: Govt deceiving people over Covid vaccines: BNP
Mannan-Nilufar Memorial Foundation arranged the programme, marking the first death anniversary of late BNP vice-chairman and ex-state minister Abdul Mannan.
Fakhrul alleged that the government is least bothered about the sufferings of people and their lives and livelihoods as it is not elected by them.
"This is the high time to stand up against this misrule. We have to stand up against this monstrous regime that has been running the country without public mandate,” he said.
Read: Covid situation turned terrible: BNP
The BNP leader said a truly democratic government must be established to 'restore' people’s rights. "We all have to work together and move forward to make it happens.”
Fakhrul recalled the contributions of Mannan to the country and BNP as an honest and responsible politician.
Mannan, who served as the state minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism from 1991 to 1996, died on August 4 last year at the age of 78.
BNP forms convening committees for Dhaka’s south, north
BNP on Monday announced fresh convening committees for its Dhaka south and north units by dissolving the existing ones.
Party chairperson’s adviser and freedom fighter Abdus Salam was made convener of a 49-member convening committee of Dhaka south city unit BNP while Jubo Dal leader Rafiqul Alam Mojnu as its member secretary.
BNP chairperson’s another adviser and ex-Ducsu VP Amanullah Aman was made convener of a 47-member convening committee of the party's Dhaka north city unit while ex-national footballer Aminul Islam as its member secretary.
Also read: Jamiat’s faction parts with BNP-led alliance
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir approved the two committees, said a party media release.
On April 18, 2017, the party formed its committees for Dhaka city’s south and north units with Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and Abdul Quayum as presidents respectively.
Former Dhaka city corporation ward commissioner Kazi Abul Bashar was appointed as the general secretary of Dhaka south unit BNP while another ex-ward commissioner Ahsanullah Hasan as the general secretary of Dhaka north unit BNP.
Also read: Still with BNP despite discomfort: Hafiz
Hasan, however, died of coronavrius last year while Quayum has been staying abroad since he was charged with Italian citizen Cesare Tavella murder in 2015.