BNP on Sunday described the government’s plan to offer an amnesty for money launderers as a devilish trick to legalise the funds the ruling party leaders siphoned off abroad from Bangladesh.

“They (AL leaders) are looting the assets of the country and siphoning off public money abroad,” said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Speaking at a discussion, he said the government is now saying that it will bring back the laundered money by offering an amnesty. “It’s another devilish trick. It means they themselves laundered the money and will now bring it to the country to make it legal.”

By giving the money launders such an amnesty, the BNP leader said the government will create further scope for the ruling party leaders to plunder more public money.

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”This regime can’t be trusted in any way… Awami League can no way be allowed to remain in power anymore,” he said.

He urged BNP leaders and activists to get united and intensify the movement for the restoration of the democracy by ousting the government

BNP orginased the programme at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, marking the 41st death anniversary of party founder Ziaur Rahman

Earlier on Thursday, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said the government plans an amnesty for money launderers to bring back the money they had taken out of the country.

He said Bangladesh Bank will issue a circular in this regard with more information before the national budget is placed in Parliament.

Fakhrul alleged that the current government has obliterated democracy and snatched people’s rights to hang onto power.

"We’re going to different districts outside Dhaka to hold the councils of (our party’s different units) and observing a serious urge among people to get back their rights,” he said.

Accusing the ruling party of carrying out propaganda against Zia, Fakhrul said no one can erase his name from history.

"It matters little if you (AL leaders) call Ziaur Rahman a villain, a Pakistani spy or a military ruler as he is there in the deep hearts of the country’s people. Ziaur Rahman can never be erased from history since it has absorbed him.”

BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the present Awami League government has been taking the country to the brink of destruction by destroying the spirits of the Liberation War.

“There’s is now no democracy, no human rights and no right to vote. People are hit hard by the growing price hikes in essential commodities,” he said.

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Mosharraf said the government has now become too weak to endure a strong mass wave of people. “We now need to just give a push to this regime…we have to take an oath to remove this government through united efforts and thus ensure that the next election will be held under a neutral government. ”