Staff Reporter:
BNP senior leader Dr AZM Zahid Hossain on Tuesday alleged that a conspiracy is underway to delay the national election by deteriorating the law and order situation in a planned way.
“There is a clear conspiracy… if the law and order situation can be worsened, it is likely to benefit cer-tain quarters,” he said.
The BNP leader made the remark while talking to journalists in front of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh after visiting the venue ahead of the professionals’ planned programme there on July 21, marking the first anniversary of the July mass uprising.
He, however, expressed the hope that the election would be held in time foiling all evil efforts.
Dr Zahid, a member of BNP’s standing committee, said, “The way the Chief Adviser and the Election Commission are moving forward, we hope that they will fulfill their commitments to hold the election by mid-February.”
Referring to the recent brutal murder of a scrap trader in the old part of the capital, he said BNP does not support or condone any kind of wrongdoing or injustice.
The BNP leader said their party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in a press conference on Monday, clearly said that crime is crime, and the party does not justify any wrongdoing.
He said it is not right to politicise a crime or try to highlight or downplay it in order to blame any party.
The BNP leader said unfair activities and injustice must always be treated negatively. “No conscious per-son belonging to any political party can ever support injustice and wrongdoing. I personally don’t be-lieve that.”
Dr Zahid also criticised those who made indecent remarks against BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rah-man.
“We are followers of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia. Under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, the people of Bangladesh are yearning for democracy. We don’t want to be part of any conspiracy,” he said.
He urged political leaders and workers to remain patient, speak the truth clearly, and refrain from using double standards.
Dr Zahid said BNP never supports or encourages injustice and wrongdoing, and always demands justice. “BNP does not support mob violence.”
When asked to respond to comments from a Jamaat-e-Islami leader who claimed people have showed BNP a ‘red card’ after the Mitford incident, he said, “I won’t directly respond to them. I believe those who make such comments often do so out of ignorance. I question their political understanding and ex-perience. People will decide who gets the ‘red card’ or the ‘green card’.”
He also rejected National Citizen Party Convenor Nahid Islam’s allegation that BNP is becoming a ‘pro-tector of Mujibism’. “I saw the news from Jhalakathi. Everyone can see who is doing the rehabilitation (of Awami League) and who is not.”
