Staff Reporter :A day after the threat of another ex-President, the country’s former President Prof Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury on Sunday also threatened to go for hunger strike demanding the end of ongoing political stalemate. B Chowdhury, also president of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, said that he along with the countrymen would stage the hunger strike if the two major parties don’t come in talks within seven days. The former president made the threat at a press conference at his Baridhara residence in the city. Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s special envoy and Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad threatened to stage a symbolic mass hunger strike in the city on January 27 on the same issue. B Chowdhury said that he made the call of talks as a senior citizen and a former President of the country, not only a politician. “As a senior citizen, I can’t sit idle when the country stands in the brink of destruction. All the people want to get rid of this situation. The two chefs of the two major parties have to realise the situation and save the country,” he said. He also said, “The country’s economy is on the verge of collapse. The prices of essentials are shooting up. It the current impasse continues for several days, the country will fail. We don’t support any movement which causes public sufferings. We want that the two leaders (Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia) will resolve the crisis through talks.”The former president observed that the way the two leaders are behaving in a crisis moment will not bring anything good for the country. He also criticised the other senior leaders of the two parties — Awami League and BNP — for pronouncing malicious words against Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. Thus, tarnishing the image of the two great leaders won’t bring any good result for the next generation, he said.About the Prime Minister’s return from BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office as she was not allowed to enter, B Chowdhury said, “Locking the gate of BNP Chairperson’s office was an unjust, while keeping the gate locked despite the arrival of the PM was unjust too.”He, however, pointed out logic in favour of Khaleda Zia’s sleeping during the arrival of the PM, saying, “As a doctor I can say that she needs sleep and rest to come to terms following the news of death of her son. I would have given the same suggestion as a doctor. A mother who has lost her son just a day before need not to meet anyone,” he said.B Chowdhury also praised the PM for going to Gulshan office to console the BNP chief.
