Staff Reporter :
BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Saturday alleged that the oil tanker capsize in the Sundarbans’ river is a planned incident in an attempt to destroy the world’s largest mangrove forest and the country’s pride.
“The vessel, which sank in the river, was actually not an oil tanker. It was a vessel that usually carries sand. Why there was oil in the sand-carrying vessel. It is a planned incident to destroy the Sundarbans and its biodiversity,” said the BNP chief while addressing a mammoth public rally in Narayanganj’s Kanchpur.
The BNP-led 20-party alliance arranged the rally to make public support in favour of their key demand- fresh election under a non-party government system and protesting misrule and misdeeds of the government. Top leaders of the other alliance partners also addressed the rally with Narayanganj district BNP president Advocate Taimur Alam Khandaker in the chair. Khaleda Zia said the government will not arrest anyone to those responsible for the incident of the Sundarbans, let alone carrying out a fair investigation into the incident, as there is no accountability and the rule of law in the country.
She lamented that huge oil spilled over a vast area of the Sundarbans will destroy its natural resources, including animals, birds and fish. “This regime is not only man-eater but also Bangladesh eater. It wants to goggle up Bangladesh to destroy its existence.”
In this time, she pointed out corruption of the government in different other sectors. She alleged that the Prime Minister and her family members do not have any love for the country as many of them live abroad, married foreigners. “They (Hasina and her family members) just launder money from the country,” she said.
She raised question over the monthly salary of PM’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) adviser and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy. “How worthy advice Joy gives the government for which it has to pay two lakh dollar as salary?”, she asked. Joy launders the money abroad. It proves corruption of the government and the family of PM, she claimed. She further said that the ruling party men are indulging in massive corruption, looting and terrorism. “Illegal arms are available in their hands,” he added.
The BNP chief warned that they will enforce tougher programmes just a day after its announcement to hike the tariffs of power, gas and fuel further. “I want to say the prices of power, gas and fuel oils can’t be raised again… the tariffs of those should be cut down instead. If the prices are hiked, we won’t sit idle.”
She urged the people to get united to ensure the fall of the corrupted government. She urged them to remain ready to brave any inclement weather including fog, rain and sunshine in waging a movement against the government.
Reiterating their demand for holing a fresh election under a non-party administration, she warned that the government must face the dire consequences. “We havd given you 12 months to hold a fresh election under a non-party government, but you didn’t pay heed to it. Now we have no time to sit idle.”
In her over hour-long speech, Khaleda Zia also alleged that the ruling party men are involved in the much-talked-about Narayanganj killing. She demanded the arrest of RAB official Col Ziaul Ahsan, saying that not only the seven-murder incident in Narayanganj, but the killings going on around the country could be revealed through his arrest.
The BNP chief also came down heavily on the government for ‘politicizing several institutions, including the judiciary and the administration’. She said that the government is now trying to remove the brilliant public servants and bureaucrats from the administration. About the judiciary, she said that there is no independence of the country’s judiciary. She called upon judges to fear Allah not Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while delivering judgments.
Pointing at the arrest of a female militant suspect who was reportedly conspired to kill Sheikh Hasina, the BNP chief said this is nothing but a drama and a cooked-up story. “There is no need to kill Hasina. It is Allah who will give her punishment for her misdeeds, misrule and killing innocent people.”
Terming AL, its youth front Jubo League, and student wing Chhatra League as “gunda (criminal) league”, she called upon the government to stop their criminal activities, including land ‘grabbing and killing’.
