BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday urged Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud to refrain from making ‘unguarded’ comments on their party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

“Khaleda Zia is undergoing treatment at a hospital in a critical condition. Doctors are suggesting advanced treatment of her,” he said.

The BNP leader said, “The information minister has claimed that we’re doing politics over Begum Zia's physical condition. He should be ashamed of himself for making such a remark. I again ask him not to make reckless comments on her as people don’t like it.”

READ: Govt not allowing Khaleda to go abroad: Fakhrul 

He came up with the call while speaking at a discussion arranged by Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum’s Dhaka Bar unit at Dhaka Judge Court auditorium, marking BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s 40th death anniversary.

Fakhrul said Awami League has long been trying to remove Zia from people’s hearts by distorting history, but it will not be able to do so.

He said the ruling party has destroyed all the state institutions and ‘snatched’ people’s rights to ‘reestablish’ one-party rule in the country.

The BNP leader said the government destroyed the health sector through widespread ‘plundering and corruption’. ‘Their corruption has not stopped even during this corona period. They’re plundering public money and building houses abroad with that.”

Fakhrul alleged that the government did nothing for the poor and destitute during this corona pandemic as it only fooled people in the name of incentives.

He said the government must provide the poor and low-income people with necessary financial support to keep the wheels of the economy moving since around six crore people are now living below the poverty line in Bangladesh.

"If we want to keep the poor alive and keep the economy afloat, we’ve to give them cash support so that they can buy food. But they (govt) are not doing anything for the poor and day-labourers,” he observed.

READ: Khaleda’s body temperature under control: Fakhrul

Fakhrul doubted whether the national budget to be unveiled by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Thursday will be pro-people one. “In an interview, he (Kamal) said he has formulated the budget considering the interest of all types of people. Mustafa Kamal is a businessman and he understands the business well. We haven't seen any sign of how much he understands the economy."