Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said October 28 would mark the beginning of the BNP’s downfall instead of the government’s. 

“They will have to announce their post-election movement from that rally," said Hasan Mahmud, also the Awami League’s joint general secretary, while speaking as the chief guest at an event at the Jatiya Press Club.

"BNP had said a few days ago that their movement will reach its final stage in October.  Then the BNP secretary general announced that they will hold a rally on October 28 to demand the fall of the government, and called for the government to resign before that,” he said.

Read: PM Hasina denounces BNP as a terrorist party that kills people

"Now, people joke about whether it's going to be October 28 this year, the next, or the one after. Over the past 15 years, we've heard about their movements. The truth is that it's mainly BNP workers who are involved in their movement, not the people,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of maintaining peace in politics, the minister said, "There were two big opposition rallies in Dhaka city yesterday, the distance between which was only 2 kilometres. But there was no disturbance in Dhaka city.”

That's how politics needs to be, he added.

Criticising BNP’s silence regarding Israeli atrocities in Gaza, the AL joint general secretary said the whole world protested the Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital, but the BNP did not.

“The whole world protested, from France to various European countries and even the United States,” the information minister said.

Read: No specific security threat during Durga puja: DMP chief

“The Prime Minister has protested yesterday and in the past, and I have been speaking out against this massacre from the beginning as the information minister of the government. Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry issued a statement yesterday,” he said.

Meanwhile, the BNP leaders have maintained silence over the Israeli atrocities, he added.

Hasan accused the BNP of siding with Israel by keeping their silence over the issue.

“They are only busy with Begum Zia's health and Tarique Rahman's conviction. It's very sad, and surprising,” he said.

The minister also criticised Jamaat-e-Islami’s silence over Israeli bombardment in Gaza.