Threats won’t stop mass movement, says Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday warned that the ongoing movement cannot be suppressed by threatening to send BNP’s chairperson Khaleda Zia back in jail.

He made this remark at the chairperson's office in Gulshan in a response to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's statement that Khaleda Zia will be sent back to jail again if BNP does excesses in the name of movement.

Fakhrul said, “At a time when the country is going through extreme mismanagement, extreme economic and political crisis, she (the Prime Minister) is making such a threat - if she thinks it will disrupt or suppress the movement of democracy, then she is not living in the right place."

No one will be able to suppress this movement of the people. People are fighting for their rights, he added. “Such threats will do nothing to this movement.”

"Her (Prime Minister's) statement has proved that they are vengeful and they do not believe in democracy and independence of the judiciary.", the BNP leader said.

It is because of political vendetta that PM Hasina has made such statements amid such situation, he added.

Fakhrul said it is the Awami League government which is crossing their limits. “They are the ones who destroyed the democracy today by creating state of terror and they are completely using their terrorists to obstruct us from holding rallies, our constitutional right.”

“Have you seen in any civilized country that the government goes on strike?” Fakhrul said, adding that, the transport movement had been stopped five days before BNP’s rally in Barishal.

The launch and speedboat services from Patuakhali to Barishal has stopped. “How do you explain it?” he asked.

The AL government is trying to come back to power by holding a fake election again, he added.

The BNP secretary general said, “People have woken up now, people will not allow all these fraud activities. They are determined to bring back democracy at any cost.”

People will actually form their government and parliament through an impartial caretaker government, said Fakhrul.

“For that, the first condition we have given is that the Prime Minister should resign along with his government.”

"The government is afraid of people; as the people are waking up, there will be mass movement. I believe they (Awami League) will be forced leave through the mass movement.”, Fakhrul stated.

Allegations of remittance smuggling

The crises that have arisen in Bangladesh are entirely due to their (AL) corruptions, Fakhrul said.

“Even today, it has come out in the newspaper, one-third of those who have migrated to Canada in the last 10 years are Bangladeshis.”, he added.

Remittances flow is decreasing but the number of the migrated workers has increased again, he added.

“So where is the remittance going? I said the other day that these remittances are being smuggled from abroad to abroad. Those who are involved with the ruling party are smuggling it. That is why the crisis has arisen in the country.", he said.

Last divisional rally in Dhaka

Mirza Fakhrul said that the last divisional rally will be held in Dhaka on December 10.

“We have announced that we will hold rallies in each division. We will continue our protest at any cost to restore democracy along with the people,” Fakhrul added. As part of its move to continue the pace of its on-going movement, the BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in divisional cities.

The organisers said the rallies are meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.