Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal President Abdul Monayem Munna on Wednesday called on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to abandon what he termed “cheap politics” and return to “healthy political practices.”

He made the call while addressing a protest rally held in front of the BNP’s central office at Nayapaltan in the capital in the afternoon, organised against what the party described as misinformation and indecent political practices.

The programme was organised by Dhaka South city Jubo Dal. After the rally, a protest march was brought out from Nayapaltan.

Munna alleged that a speech by a BNP lawmaker was being misrepresented and circulated as an anti-hijab statement.

He claimed that the MP did not mention hijab in his remarks, but that the issue was being deliberately distorted and used to create agitation in different places.

The Jubo Dal chief said the people of Bangladesh are religious, adding that late President Ziaur Rahman had inserted the phrase “Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim” into the Constitution, and therefore a party founded by him could not be anti-Islamic in nature.

He also said BNP holds sincere respect for Islam, citing the suspension of their programme during the call to prayer as an example.

Munna urged Jamaat not to seek political advantage through misleading statements and propaganda, and to return to constructive political practices instead of what he called “cheap politics.”

He also warned that if any indecent or offensive remarks are made about Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, Jubo Dal will respond politically.

Leaders of Jubo Dal central and city units were present at the programme.