Dhaka, July 25 (UNB) – BNP senior leader Moudud Ahmed on Wednesday said the ‘mysterious disappearance’ of huge coal from Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Ltd (BCMCL) is the ‘biggest scandal’ of the current government.

“Suddenly, it came in the limelight that coal has been stolen and disappeared. Nothing can be bigger scandal than this,” he said.

Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader also said the government would have resigned voluntarily had it been a democratic and civilised country.

“A shameless government is now in power which has no accountability to people. That’s why it’s now getting spared and staying in power,” he observed.

 ‘Chetanai Bangladesh’, a pro-BNP platform, arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club, demanding the release of Khaleda Zia from jail and her better treatment. 
 
According to media reports, coal worth over Tk 200 crore disappeared from the BCMCL’s yard. It surfaced as Power Development Board (PDB) official Abu Sayeed visited the mine recently.

Moudud, a BNP standing committee member, said thousands of crores of taka has been looted while around Tk 800 crore stolen from Bangladesh Banks reserved and finally gold stolen from its vault, but the government ccould not take action against any one.

“Why couldn’t the government arrest anyone in connection with the scandal? They should have arrested people involved in the incidents and those who neglect duties,” he observed.

The BNP leader said now laws are only applicable for the opposition leaders and activists, not to ruling party men.

“There’re now two types of citizens in the country. Those who we belong to the opposition parties are second class citizens while the ruling party men are first class citizens. We’re deprived of our rights as the law is not applied equally for us,” he observed.

Moudud alleged that the government is suppressing those who hold alternative views against its repressive acts.

He also said now there is hardly any intellectual in the country to raise their voice against the government as most of them sold themselves and turned into its service providers.
 

Dhaka, July 14 (UNB) - BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday alleged that the government has destroyed the minimum democratic space in the country only to perpetuate its power.

“Now the country lacks minimum democratic space while people have no freedom to express their views and opinions,” he said.

The BNP leader came up with the allegation while talking to reporters at the Institution of Engineers (IEB) protesting the denial of police permission for holding a gathering of pro-BNP intellectuals.

Pro-BNP platform Zia Parishad was schedule to hold a gathering of intellectuals at IEB but the progamme was cancelled as police denied the organiser permission for the programme.

Fakhrul said it was a programme of a non-political organisation but the government did not allow them to hold it. “We strongly condemn and protest it.”

He regretted that police have now chosen the path of repression and working for the continuation of misrule.

Dhaka, July 2 (UNB) – Denouncing the attacks on anti-quota movement activists, BNP on Monday urged the government to resolve the problem over the quota system peacefully through discussions with the demonstrators.

In a statement, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also demanded the government unconditionally release the arrested demonstrators.

He alleged that the government has let loose the ruling party student organisation to attack the demonstrators of the quota-reform movement and police to arrest them instead of fulfilling the commitment made by the Prime Minister in Parliament over the abolition of quota in the public service.

“The sensible people of the country in no way can accept the breaching of commitment and showing brutality by the highest level (of the state),” the BNP leader observed.

He further said, “The students of the quota-reform movement are like our children. Showing inhuman attitude against them by using law enforcers or the ruling party organisation is a shameful act.”

Fakhrul alleged that the current government is hardly bothered about the justified demands of the people of different walks of life. “I strongly condemn and protest the brutal acts against the demonstrating students.”

Earlier on Saturday, some members of Bangladesh General Students' Rights Protection Council, the platform of students that led the quota reform movement, were injured in an attack allegedly by some Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists on the Dhaka University campus.

The BCL men also reportedly attacked the quota reform activists at different universities, including the Dhaka University, on Sunday and Monday, leaving many of them injured.

In April, the students of public and private universities across the country waged a strong movement demanding that the quota system be reformed.

In the face of the student agitations, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament on April 11 the abolition of all types of quotas in government jobs.

Dhaka, June 27 (UNB) - BNP on Wednesday turns down the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election results and demanded reelection to it.

“It’s only a mockery in the name of election in Gazipur. They’ve invented a new tactic of vote rigging and applied it,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Speaking at a press conference, he further said, “We turn down Gazipur city election results with hatred and we demand reelection to it.”

BNP arranged the press conference at its chairperson’s Gulshan office to give the party’s formal reaction over the election results.

Fakhrul urged people to take a strong stance against vote rigging in Gazipur.

He alleged that the Gazipur election was held in the same manner as in Khulna.

“Awami League has taken the election results into its favour by using law enforcers, administration and the Election Commission as it has got isolated from people,” the BNP leader said.

He also alleged that the government snatched BNP’s victory with the direct help of the EC in Gazipur.

“They’re using the state machinery and threatening media to refrain from presenting the facts,” he further said.

Awami League candidate Jahangir Alam was declared elected in the GCC election on Wednesday as he defeated his rival BNP contestant Hasan Uddin Sarker by a huge margin of 4.10 lakh votes.

Fakhrul said the GCC polls once again manifested that no fair and credible election can be held under Awami League.

He, however, said their party will join the upcoming Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barishal city polls as part of their party’s ongoing movement to unmask the government and the EC and expose their real traits further.

The BNP leader urged the EC to perform its constitutional duty properly and independently.

He also urged the voters to go to the polling stations to exercise their democratic rights.

Replying to a question, Fakhrul said they want the EC to be reconstituted as the current Commission has ‘completely failed’ to perform its duty.

He demanded the government immediately release its chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.

Party standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain alleged that their party mayoral candidate’s many agents were obstructed from going to polling stations. “Even, some agents were not allowed to come out of their houses.” 

He said the government with the help of the EC and local administration manipulated the election results in its favour.

Party standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government has taken an election project. “As part of it, they held the elections in the same style both in Khulna and Gazipur. We must foil this election project to restore democracy.”
 

Dhaka, June 22 (UNB) – Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in a drive arrested a bus driver and his helper along with 2401 Yaba tablets from Rupnagar area in the capital on Friday morning.

The arrestees are driver Md Ziaur, 27, son of Md Shahar Ali, hailing from Rangpur district and helper Md Aminul Islam Milon, 26, son of Md Abdul Awal of Sirajganj district. They used to live in Savar.

Tipped off, a team of police conducted a drive in a ‘Shyamoli Paribahan Bus’ in front of Baitul Nur Mosque under Rupnagar thana around 8:50am, said a Rab press release.

Sensing the presence of the elite force members, the driver and helper tried to flee the scene. However, the team arrested the duo.

The team recovered the Yaba tablets from the bus and seized the vehicle.