Blaming the government for its indifference to rescuing the sunken launch Pinak-6 and missing people, BNP standing committee members on Sunday night demanded due compensation for the victims’ families and action against those responsible for the incident.
At a meting of the party’s policymaking body, they also denounced the police attacks on the Tuba Group garment workers who had been on a movement demanding their dues and festive bonus, BNP spokesman Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters at a press briefing when the meeting was in progress.
They also demanded the authorities pay the salaries and bonus of the workers.
The BNP standing committee members sat in the meeting around 8:40 pm with Khaleda Zia in the chair at the BNP chief’s Gulshan office. Fakhrul said, the BNP policymakers demanded the National Broadcast Policy, 2014 be scrapped as it has been framed to control media and reestablish the ‘one-party’ Baksal rule.
“The illegal government has formulated the policy to stifle the media and snatch people’s right of expression. It’s contrary to the basic rights of people and the constitution,” he quoted the BNP policymakers as observing at the meeting.
The BNP leaders urged journalists to put up a strong resistance together with people against the policy.
Fakhrul also said the BNP standing committee members were discussing the future course of action of the party which will be finalised on Monday night at the meeting of the top leaders of BNP-led 20-party alliance.
The BNP standing committee members also condemned the Israeli aggression against Gaza Strip and urged the international community, especially the UN, OIC and Arab League, to take immediate steps to halt
