Speaking at a human-chain programme, he said the current government has broken all the previous records in corruption index.
“It has now got exposed how Chhatra League and Jubo League repressed people and indulged in extortion and tender manipulation over the last 10 years. The situation has turned so worse that the government was forced to remove Chhatra League president and general secretary,” the BNP leader said.
He further said, “There’s no institution and place which is free from corruption, bribery and evil practices of making illegal money. Corruption has spread everywhere as there’s no elected government in the country.”
Association of Engineers, Bangladesh arranged the programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club, demanding BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s release from jail.
Referring to media reports, Moudud said the government has made a list of 500 Chhatra League leaders and activists who are involved in extortion. “Actually, their number is more than 5,000.”
He said it is now proved that Chhatra League and Jubo League are involved in extortion, tender manipulation, repression, grabbing people’s land and shops and taking money from people by repressing them.
The BNP leader said now no-one, not even a peon, gets job in any public or semi-government organisation and university without bribing. “Around Tk 3 lakh is required for the job of a peon post while Tk 5 lakh for that of a nurse. Even, a TIB report said brown envelopes of money are necessary for the appointment of lecturers to Dhaka University.”
He also said the ruling party leaders are making huge money through ‘plundering and corruption’ and siphoning off their ‘ill-gotten money’ aboard.
Moudud said though over 11 lakh Rohingyas have long been staying in Bangladesh, the government still could not send a single of them due to its diplomatic failure. “Bangladesh has been facing such a big crisis for the knee-jerk foreign policy of the current government.”
The BNP leader also voiced deep concern over remarks of Indian ruling party leaders that the people left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam would be pushed across the border.
“No-one of our citizen is there in Assam. Those who excluded from the NRC are the inhabitants of Assam and India. There’s no reason for Bangladeshis to go to Assam as our economy is better than them. A plot is being hatched to send some people to Bangladesh with false excuses. We strongly condemn and protest it,” he added.
The final NRC was made public recently excluding the names of about 19.07 lakh applicants, mostly Bengali-speaking people, as they failed to prove that they had come to India before March 24, 1971, just before Bangladesh’s Liberation began.
Moudud said they are putting in their best efforts to free Khaleda Zia from jail through a legal process, but it will not be possible to ensure her release without a strong street movement.