BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council member Zainul Abedin Farroque on Sunday said deposed Awami League President Sheikh Hasina would not be able to reorganise her party's leaders and workers with her empty statements from India.
“Sheikh Hasina has left (the country) but her ghosts are still plotting. I’ve heard they (AL leaders and workers) may take out a procession today (Sunday) You (Hasina) are not in the country. You’ll never be able to reorganise them with these rubbish assertions,” he said.
Speaking at a rally, the BNP leader also said Sheikh Hasina’s associates destroyed Bangladesh and its economy through widespread plundering.
BNP leaders, activists stage protests at Noor Hossain square, AL office
He also said those who had embezzled crores of taka through fraudulent business dealings and sent the money abroad also fled the country.
“They too are no longer with you, having fled the country just like you. Those who remain in the country will never have the courage to take to the streets. So, don’t mislead the people with such false calls (over the phone),” the BNP leader observed.
The Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Party organised the rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club, demanding the withdrawal of all false cases against Begum Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman.
Farroque, also a former opposition chief whip in parliament, called upon the interim government to swiftly hold a credible national election after completing the necessary state reforms.
“Lay out an election roadmap in consultation with political parties, instead of buying time under the guise of reforms. Reforms will continue, and so will the preparations for the elections,” he said, directing his remarks at the government.
The BNP leader also said it is crucial to establish a government formed by the elected representatives of the people and hold a national election to thwart all forms of conspiracies by the Awami League and its cohorts.
“Where are those who ruled the country for 16 years… the Awami League has destroyed the constitution and ruined constitutional institutions…Sheikh Hasina has turned all these institutions into mere hangout clubs for her party,” Farroque said.
He also said the leaders and activists of the BNP and its front organisations, alongside like-minded political parties and under the guidance of Tarique Rahman, put up a strong resistance against Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic rule. “Later, we, together with the students and the people, managed to oust Sheikh Hasina from power.”