Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee has said that the remarks made by the jailed Mohammed Sifat and NCP's Nasiruddin Patwary, which he said involved abusive language and insults against political opponents, amount to a ‘criminal offence.’
“Insulting and disrespecting opponents in this manner by using abusive language - we have never seen this before. Sifat and Patwary may be people involved in politics, but they cannot be considered politicians. What they have said is not a political statement. It is a criminal offence,” he said.
The minister made the remarks today while speaking at the Zia Memorial Book Fair held at Bangla Academy.
Recalling his political experience, Anee said, “In my political life, we were involved with the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in the 1980s. Whether it was student politics, BNP politics or politics in Bangladesh as a whole, we had never seen the use of indecent, discourteous or abusive language to insult and disrespect political opponents in this way.
“Even fascists never had the audacity to glare at us and speak to us in such a threatening manner.
“During the July Movement, those of us who participated in it and worked in the field, standing alongside talented students, did not encounter such language either from those who led the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement or those who served as coordinators, even while working with general students across the country.”
Referring to books published at the fair, he said, “The ‘Sobar Agey Bangladesh’ was personally edited by Tarique Rahman.”
Highlighting the role of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in past movements and struggles, Anee said, “When we took part in the anti-autocracy movement against Ershad, the 1996 movement, and the struggles of the past 17 years, the BNP always kept the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal at the forefront of its movements.
“The stage we have reached today under the leadership of Khaleda Zia, Ziaur Rahman and Tarique Rahman owes a great deal to the sacrifice, labour, sweat and blood of the Chhatra Dal.”
He further said, “Ziaur Rahman did not become who he was overnight, nor did he become popular in a single day. Through the formation of Jagadal in 1977 and later the establishment of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, he demonstrated far-sighted thinking, which laid the foundation for a modern and new Bangladesh.”