The statement made by the Prime Minister about March 7 and Ziaur Rahman is not correct, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Tuesday.
"Independence was not achieved in a day through one speech - that is what we wanted to say time and again. After our statement, the head of the government got angry and said many things which are, frankly, not true," he said at a discussion meeting of BNP National Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday blasted BNP leaders for their remarks that they do not get any message of independence from the historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She said it is normal that they will not understand the essence of the historic speech as its founder Ziaur Rahman killed many Bangalees in Chattorgram in March, 1971.
"The person, who started the massacre against people, who was going to release arms from the (Pakistani) Swat ship, killed the Father of the Nation, declared himself as the President of the country through grabbing power by violating the Constitution, formed a political party. So it's very normal that leaders of the party won't understand the language and essence of this speech. There's nothing to be surprised or to be discussed," she said.
Fakhrul on Tuesday asked why untrue statements were being made. "Their goal is to establish their version that the country won freedom in a single moment with the proclamation of an individual," he said.
He asked if the Liberation War would have started had Ziaur Rahman, who later founded the BNP, did not proclaim independence? "No," he answered himself.
Referring to the Prime Minister's statement, Fakhrul said nobody would believe her because she sometimes makes statements for which she cannot produce any historical evidence.
Fakhrul said, "This government is ... distorting history ... [and] has turned this country into an autocratic state by oppressing the people."
The BNP secretary general called upon the people to unite to overcome this situation.
