Staff Reporter :
The BNP on Friday rubbished media reports claiming its chief Khaleda Zia met a group of government officials at her Gulshan office in the city on Thursday night.
Several television channels and web portals ran reports on Khaleda Zia holding a meeting with the government officials at her office at Gulshan.
The media claimed that the government officials who called on the BNP Chairperson at her Gulshan office included incumbent and former public servants. They also claimed that a group of officials of Ministry of Public Administration were present during the meeting.
Some 20 retired and serving bureaucrats reportedly held a meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office on Thursday night, stated the media reports.
In a prompt reaction, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir issued a press release on Friday claiming that the reports on the meeting were false and baseless.
“The reports are false, fabricated and motivated. They aim at misleading the people,” the BNP spokesman said. The statement also claimed that
the reports were ‘politically motivated’.
Fakhrul also condemned running such reports and urged the people not to be misled.
Fakhrul said that many in the BNP chairperson’s advisory council are former secretaries. No present government officials were at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Awami League leaders speaking on different occasions yesterday said that the government would investigate the matter. Necessary actions will be taken against those involved in the ‘midnight conspiracy’.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also warned of legal steps against the government officials if they met BNP chief Khaleda Zia breaking the law. “Law will take its own course,” she said.
Her comments came at a media conference at Ganobhaban on Friday, while addressing on the recently concluded 18th SAARC summit in Nepal and her just concluded Malaysia visit.
Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta has warned that BNP Chief Khaleda Zia will face charges of trying to topple the regime for ‘instigating anti-government conspiracies.
At a programme yesterday, he said an ‘upset’ BNP chief had a “history” of conspiring with government officials. Her meeting with several ‘frustrated’ bureaucrats remind us a ‘similar meeting’ in 2006 led by Mahmudur Rahman.
The AL leader said the people expected the administration to be neutral. “They have to do their work. Conspiring to topple a government at a late night meeting is not their job. It’s a crime.”
“They alone did not commit this crime. Khaleda Zia will be named as the prime accused in the case for instigating conspiracy to bring down the government,” Sengupta said.
Food Minister Quamrul Islam has termed BNP chairperson’s meeting with some government officials on Thursday night as a ‘midnight blueprint.’
“It’s a conspiracy against the state…intelligence agencies will find out those involved in the conspiracy and actions will be taken accordingly,” he said.
Quamrul, also a joint general secretary of Awami League’s Dhaka city unit, made the remarks at a discussion marking the 51st death anniversary of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy at Shilpakala Academy.
“We saw last night a meeting was held in BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office. This meeting reminds us the meeting held in November, 2006 at Uttara. Our intelligence agencies are not that much inefficient that they won’t be able to find out who go where, when and why .They’ll find out who are involved in the conspiracy,” he added.
About BNP’s denial of such meeting, the AL leader said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed that no such meeting was held while BNP chairperson’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan said such meeting might have taken place. Their statements are contradictory, he said.
State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara has warned that administrative steps will be taken against the officials if the reports of meeting with the BNP chairperson are confirmed. “The government will not take this lightly. It is a matter of discipline within the service,” she said.
The BNP on Friday rubbished media reports claiming its chief Khaleda Zia met a group of government officials at her Gulshan office in the city on Thursday night.
Several television channels and web portals ran reports on Khaleda Zia holding a meeting with the government officials at her office at Gulshan.
The media claimed that the government officials who called on the BNP Chairperson at her Gulshan office included incumbent and former public servants. They also claimed that a group of officials of Ministry of Public Administration were present during the meeting.
Some 20 retired and serving bureaucrats reportedly held a meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office on Thursday night, stated the media reports.
In a prompt reaction, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir issued a press release on Friday claiming that the reports on the meeting were false and baseless.
“The reports are false, fabricated and motivated. They aim at misleading the people,” the BNP spokesman said. The statement also claimed that
the reports were ‘politically motivated’.
Fakhrul also condemned running such reports and urged the people not to be misled.
Fakhrul said that many in the BNP chairperson’s advisory council are former secretaries. No present government officials were at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Awami League leaders speaking on different occasions yesterday said that the government would investigate the matter. Necessary actions will be taken against those involved in the ‘midnight conspiracy’.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also warned of legal steps against the government officials if they met BNP chief Khaleda Zia breaking the law. “Law will take its own course,” she said.
Her comments came at a media conference at Ganobhaban on Friday, while addressing on the recently concluded 18th SAARC summit in Nepal and her just concluded Malaysia visit.
Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta has warned that BNP Chief Khaleda Zia will face charges of trying to topple the regime for ‘instigating anti-government conspiracies.
At a programme yesterday, he said an ‘upset’ BNP chief had a “history” of conspiring with government officials. Her meeting with several ‘frustrated’ bureaucrats remind us a ‘similar meeting’ in 2006 led by Mahmudur Rahman.
The AL leader said the people expected the administration to be neutral. “They have to do their work. Conspiring to topple a government at a late night meeting is not their job. It’s a crime.”
“They alone did not commit this crime. Khaleda Zia will be named as the prime accused in the case for instigating conspiracy to bring down the government,” Sengupta said.
Food Minister Quamrul Islam has termed BNP chairperson’s meeting with some government officials on Thursday night as a ‘midnight blueprint.’
“It’s a conspiracy against the state…intelligence agencies will find out those involved in the conspiracy and actions will be taken accordingly,” he said.
Quamrul, also a joint general secretary of Awami League’s Dhaka city unit, made the remarks at a discussion marking the 51st death anniversary of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy at Shilpakala Academy.
“We saw last night a meeting was held in BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office. This meeting reminds us the meeting held in November, 2006 at Uttara. Our intelligence agencies are not that much inefficient that they won’t be able to find out who go where, when and why .They’ll find out who are involved in the conspiracy,” he added.
About BNP’s denial of such meeting, the AL leader said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed that no such meeting was held while BNP chairperson’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan said such meeting might have taken place. Their statements are contradictory, he said.
State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara has warned that administrative steps will be taken against the officials if the reports of meeting with the BNP chairperson are confirmed. “The government will not take this lightly. It is a matter of discipline within the service,” she said.
