Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon on Wednesday accused opposition political parties of following the path of the ousted government, saying a recent incident was used to overshadow Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s “successful” visit to New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
“The opposition is walking the path of the ousted authoritarian regime. Leaders of opposition political parties are speaking in the same vein as the fugitive government used to speak,” he said.
Rumon made the remarks while addressing a press conference held at the Karabi Hall of the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon in the afternoon on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent US visit to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
He also said an incident was brought to the forefront of public discussion in the country to overshadow the success of the Prime Minister’s New York visit, apparently referring to the attack on the studio of content creator Salman Mohammad Muqtadir and other establishments in New Gini Housing Society in the city’s ECB Chattar area.
“When the Prime Minister was returning after attending the UN General Assembly and earning praise for the country, such an incident was created, causing discussions on the success of the visit to be pushed into the background,” Rumon said.
Rumon said the Prime Minister took part in various programmes from 7:30am to 11:00pm during his New York visit, with his engagements continuing until midnight on some days.
“There was hardly any opportunity to move around outside the scheduled programmes during the visit,” he said.
“We thought that after returning home, there would be discussions on the Prime Minister’s successful visit and you would hold talk shows. But then another incident was created. As a result, the discussion that was supposed to take place about the success of the Prime Minister’s visit was pushed into the background. Everywhere, only one issue was discussed,” the additional press secretary said.
He said a “fascist government” had kept the country under its control for the past 15 years.
He said the Prime Minister is trying to build a humane Bangladesh and take the country from that “ghostly darkness” towards the light.
Against this backdrop, Rumon urged everyone to cooperate with the government.
He said if someone’s hands and legs are tied while swimming, it will be impossible for that person to cross a river. “Similarly, if a government is asked to work with its hands and legs tied, no government can pass the test,” he said.
“We want cooperation. We are repeatedly calling upon you to provide cooperation. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman wants to build a beautiful and successful Bangladesh. Everyone’s cooperation is needed for this,” the additional press secretary said.
PM’s Adviser and PMO Spokesperson Mahdi Amin, PM’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly Speechwriter Mahfuzur Rahman, and Deputy Press Secretaries Hasan Shiplu and Md Suzauddhowla were present at the press conference.