BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has alleged that people now cannot have their confidence in the country’s health system as it has completely collapsed.

“Babu’s (Shafiul Bari Babu’s) death in such a way has exposed a truth that Bangladesh’s health system has completely collapsed. Babu’s illness and death have also proved that people now can’t keep confidence in the health system here,” he said.

The BNP leader came up with the comment while talking to reporters after visiting the house of Swechchasebak Dal president Shafiul Bari Babu who died on Tuesday.

Fakhrul said the country’s health system itself has become a problem for the patients as people do not get proper treatment and authentic diagnosis reports.

“Many people asked why the country’s people go abroad for treatment. People are forced to go abroad as they can’t undergo even proper diagnosis here and face many other problems,” he observed.

Describing Babu as a talented leader, the BNP leader said, “We can’t imagine a popular and conscious leader like Babu could leave us in such a way. He has all the qualities to be a big leader.”

Fakhrul said Babu left his wife and two children in such a condition that they have no place to take shelter. “I urge all of our party leaders and activists to extend their helping hand to Babu’s family.”

He said BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia directed him to meet the bereaved family members of Babu and assured them that their party is with them.

The BNP leader came to Babu’s rented house in the city’s Eskaton area at noon and talked to his wife and son and daughter and consoled them.

Meanwhile, Swechchasebak Dal arranged a doa-cum discussion programme at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.

A special munajat was offered seeking eternal peace for babu’s departed soul.

Jatiyatabadi Swechchasebak Dal President Shafiul Bari Babu died at a hospital in the capital early Tuesday at the age of 51 while undergoing treatment for lung infection and breathing problem.

Nearly six months after the polls, defeated BNP mayoral candidate Tabith Awal on Wednesday filed a petition with the election tribunal seeking a directive to the returning officer for providing him all the necessary documents related to the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) elections and the results.

On behalf of Tabith Awal, his lawyer Barrister AKM Ehsanur Rahman filed the petition with the election tribunal (Dhaka Joint District Judge Court-1).

Talking to UNB, Ehsan said Tabith earlier sent five letters to the Election Commission to provide him the documents related to the election and the results, but he still did not get those, forcing him to file the petition.

In the petition, he said the BNP candidate appealed to the tribunal to pass an order asking the returning officer to provide him documents, including records relating to a number of sealed EVMs handed over by the assistant returning officers to the presiding officers, all polling cards, audit cards and SD cards used in the EVMs in all the centres, the entire logbook containing the use of EVMs in the DNCC Election 2020, list of all election officials and others assigned to various duties and responsibilities and result copies printed out by presiding officers from the Control Unit of EVMs.

He said these documents are necessary for disposing of a petition filed by Tabith after the election challenging the election and its results.

Ehsan said the hearing on both the partitions is likely to be held after Eid-ul-Azha vacation.

Elections to the DNCC and DSCC were held on February 1 last when Awami League candidates Atiqul Islam and Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh won the mayoral posts.

A gazette notification was issued on February 4.

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday said though the sufferings of their party colleagues are in great misery, the ruling party leaders are leading a happy life even at this time of corona pandemic since they have huge money.

"They (AL leaders) are leaving the country to lead a happy life. We’ve heard many of them have homes in Begum Palli in Canada and some have second homes in Malaysia. So, they’re leading a happy life there,” he said.

Speaking at a programme of exchanging Eid greetings, Rizvi further said, “The ruling party leaders have made huge money…many have taken it out of the country and thus they’ve made arrangements to live in peace and happiness.”

Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (Jasas) arranged the programme at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Rizvi said their party leaders and activists are going through serious sufferings due to the government’s ‘vindictive and repressive’ acts. “Our leaders and activates has no personal life. They can’t stay at their homes with their family members, and unable to their respective areas even during the Eid. They have been forced to leave their homes in the face of numerous cases.”

Expressing deep sorrow at the death of Swechchasebak Dal president Shafiul Bari Babu, he said they are losing their many dedicated leaders at this bad time of the country.   

The BNP leader also alleged that the government has snatched people’s freedom of expression by destroying the election system.

“Awami League had made democracy a target in 1975 by establishing a one-party rule. Now they’ve again revived it by usurping power,” he added.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday alleged that people are getting worried over the deteriorating flood situation in the country due to the government’s ‘negligence and inaction’ in dealing with the natural calamity.

"The government has miserably failed in dealing with coronavirus. The situation has gone out of control due to its extreme indifference, negligence and corruption. Similarly, the government's silence and inaction on the flood issue is scaring people,” he said.

Speaking at a virtual press conference from his Uttara residence, the BNP leader said, “We condemn such negligence, indifference and inaction of an unelected government.  We demand the government take immediate steps for ensuring necessary relief materials for the flood victims.”

He also called upon the country’s people and BNP leaders and activists to stand by the flood-hit people by extending their helping hands.

Fakhrul said their party has formed a national committee, headed by its standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, to stand beside the flood victims.

He said the committee will initiate its relief activities very soon.

The BNP leader said a minister said the government is not worried about the floods. “But people are crying for relief in the disaster-hit areas. The fact is that the plight of the flood victims and their helplessness, the sufferings of helpless children and elderly people who have taken position on the roads or embankments and the starvation of people under the open sky do not bother the government.”

He said the ruling party men become happy whenever flood and other disaster hit the country as it creates fresh opportunities for them to indulge in corruption since they have no accountability to people.

Fakhrul said 34 districts in the country have already been affected by the flood with the onrush of water from upstream as India has opened the gates of all the dams and barrages of the common rivers. “Even, some districts have been affected by floods two or three times in a month, and people’s houses and croplands have been washed by floodwater.”

He said the government could not sign any deal with India over a decade for ensuring the fair share of water of common rivers, including Teesta, due to its the ‘knee-jerk’ foreign policy. “People living in the vicinities of rivers in Bangladesh are being affected by floods almost every year. The India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission has become almost inactive.”

He said the country’s people still do not know how much relief materials the government have so far been distributed among the flood victims.

Fakhrul said though the government has sent some relief items in some areas like Kurigram and Lalmonirhat, people are saying they did not get the relief. “We saw in the past how ruling party men plundered relief materials.

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday made party co-chairman Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu as its secretary general removing Moshiur Rahman Ranga from the post.

GM Quader took the decision as per section 20/1/A of the Jatiya Party constitution giving it immediate effect, said a party press release.

However, the reason behind the removal of Ranga was not mentioned in the press release.

On December 3, 2018, then Jatiya Party Chairman and founder HM Ershad appointed Ranga its secretary general removing Ruhul Amin Hawlader in a similar way.

Hawlader was first made Jatiya Party secretary general in 2001 when the party faced a split and remained in the post for 12 consecutive years.

In April 2014, Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu was appointed Jatiya Party secretary general sacking Ruhul Amin Hawlader.

On January 19, 2016, Ershad removed Bablu from the post of the party secretary general and replaced him with Ruhul Amin Hawlader.