BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday termed ‘unexpected, indecent and devoid of political etiquettes’ the Prime Minister's statements in parliament about Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and BNP.

“Sheikh Hasina’s statements as the Leader of the House were nothing but tasteless and cooked-up ones,” he said at a virtual press conference.

Fakhrul alleged that the Prime Minister tried to demean BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia with her ‘imaginary’ remarks in parliament on Saturday.

“The nation doesn’t expect such statements from the Leader of the Parliament. We think she’s set a bad example as the Leader of the House. We strongly condemn and protest her statements,” he observed.

The BNP leader said their party standing committee at a virtual meeting on Saturday condemned Law Minister Anisul Haq’s remark in parliament that Khaleda Zia has to first confess to her corruption offences and then applied to the President seeking clemency to go abroad for her treatment. “His comment is audacious and indecorous.”

Read: Khaleda temporarily released after over 25 months

“The meeting thinks Khaleda Zia has been convicted and sent to jail in false and fabricated cases out of political vengeance. She’s not even granted bail, though almost all the other accused of such charges got bail,” he said.

Fakhrul said Khaleda was temporarily shifted to her Gulshan residence from jail in March last year through an administrative directive following an application by her family. “There’s nothing mentioned in the laws that the government cannot allow her (Khaleda) to go abroad for treatment.”

He said it can never be acceptable that a three-time former prime minister cannot be allowed to go abroad for treatment on humanitarian grounds.

The BNP leader said there is a scope for the government to permit the BNP chief to go abroad under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) if it wants. “In fact, they (govt) are curtailing their own power to show a hostile attitude towards Khaleda Zia.”

He said their standing committee hopes the government will allow the BNP chief to receive treatment abroad coming out of its negative attitude towards her.

Sought his comment on Awami League General Secretary Obadiah Quaver’s statement that many BNP leaders are trying to join the ruling party, Fakhrul said the government never succeeded in its effort to split and weaken BNP.

He also said BNP will not be affected much even if some of its leaders leave the party since it enjoys popularity.

Read: Khaleda subjected to “state repression”: BNP

Earlier, speaking at a virtual discussion, Fakhrul wondered as the health minister is not resigning from the Cabinet in the face of huge criticisms by MPs in parliament.

“What a shameless person this health minister is! MPs from his party and from the opposition have raised voices against him in parliament, but he’s not stepping down. It seems he has no sense of shame,” he observed.

Pro-BNP faction of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) arranged the virtual discussion on press freedom.

Fakhrul said the government is trying to regulate press freedom by ‘abusing’ the Digital Security ACT (DSA).

He said journalists are being repressed and harassed by implicating them in cases under the DSA if they criticise the government or write anything against it.