Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today ruled out any dialogue prior to the next national election, amidst talk of holding dialogues with political parties.
“Many say dialogue should be held. With whom should the dialogue be held? With BNP? The convicted Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman who wanted to kill me with grenade attack?” — she asked.
The prime minister said this while addressing the sixth triennial national council of Mahila Awami League, an associate body of Awami League, at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.
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Sheikh Hasina said BNP is free to hold meetings and processions, but her government will take stern action if the opposition resorts to arson attacks and killings in the name of anti-government movement.
“We have no objection to your movement. But we will not spare a single person if there is any incident of arson attacks, burning people alive and hurling grenades on the innocents,” she warned BNP.
Hasina, who is the president of AL, attended the opening session as the chief guest.
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The prime minister’s warning came as BNP has launched a campaign of divisional rallies to demand that the AL government step down to pave the way for forming a neutral caretaker administration for holding the next general election. The opposition party is also highlighting the sky-rocketing prices of the essential commodities.
PM also lambasted the BNP-Jamaat regime for unleashing a rein of torture and repression across the country after it came to power in 2001.
“They came down on the womenfolk. There was not a single place in Bangladesh where their torture and oppression was not done,” she told the conference.