“People like (Laxmipur MP) Papul and Mohammad Shahed are coming out of Awami League’s vanity bags and suitcases. Bangladesh Bank’s Tk 800 crore is also coming out of their cupboards,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

He said, “In the 12 years of your rule, over 50 casinos have been built in Dhaka city. Their owners are all very close to you (PM). So, you planted that venom tree which is producing fruits like Samrat, Shamim, Shahed, Papiya and other corrupt elements.”

The BNP leader made the remarks while speaking at a milad mahfil-cum discussion arranged by Jatiyatabadi Matsyajibi Dal at the party’s Naypaltan central office seeking the eternal peace of the departed souls of the leaders of BNP and its associate bodies died recently.

On Friday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the last BNP government planted the venom tree of corruption and Bangladesh is now bearing the brunt of it.

Protesting the Prime Minister’s comment, Rizvi said the ruling party is blaming BNP to hide their ‘misdeeds’ and mislead people.

Referring to the recent arrest of Faridpur Chhatra League president Nishan Mahmud Shamim in connection with a money-laundering case, he said the ruling party’s student body leader siphoned off Tk 2,000 crore. “Is it the result of BNP's corruption?”

The BNP leader said Awami League also planted the toxic trees of ‘terrorism’ and enforced disappearance, killing and is making disappeared several thousand of their party leaders and activists.

Rizvi also criticised the ruling party leaders for what he said singing a 'chorus of lies' about the August-21 grenade attack involving BNP and its leaders.

He said the Awami League leaders are making unguarded remarks against their political opponents out of the vanity of power.  “You won’t be able to mislead people with such remarks as they can understand the fact.”

The BNP leader claimed that August-21 grenade attack was an outcome of the Awami League’s plot to dent BNP’s image and create a ground for returning to power.

Also read: Aug-21 attack outcome of ‘AL's masterplan’: BNP