Accusing the government of carrying out horrific mental torture on its party chief, opposition BNP on Sunday alleged that the government is conspiring to isolate Khaleda Zia from people and opposition activists.
“The government has resorted to horrible repressive acts to mentally torture opposition leader Khaleda Zia. They’re hatching a nasty plot to isolate her from the country’s people and leaders and activists of BNP and 18-party alliance,” said BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
He came up with the allegation at a press briefing at BNP‘s Nayapaltan central office on the first 10 hours of the BNP-led 18-party’s nonstop 84-hour hartal enforced at 6am on Sunday to push for its demand for arranging the next polls under a non-party government.
Referring to the deployment of additional police around the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan residence and reported restriction on entering it, Rizvi said they are not clear whether Khaleda was under house arrest, or house-interned or confined.
He rejected the law enforcers’ remarks that the police deployment was made as part of ensuring her security and said their comment was not true and an evil motive was behind it.
“The remarks of the law enforcers that police deployment for ensuring the opposition leader’s security is nothing but crocodile tears as this government had withdrawn SSF and other state security forces for the BNP chief and evicted her from house she had long been staying there,” the BNP leader added.
He claimed that the people of the country are worried over the media reports on disruption of water supply to the BNP chief’s residence, halting food supply and restriction on party leaders and her relatives entering the house.
“We think the government has resorted to oppressive acts and tactics and deployed police around her residence to demoralize her. We strongly condemn and protest such action of the government,” the BNP joint secretary general said.
He also denounced the police raid on Daily Inqilab editor AMM Bahauddin and crude bomb blast in front of Brac University teacher Pias Karim’s apartment.
About the selling of Awami Leagues’ nomination forms for the upcoming polls, Rizvi said it has exposed the government’s plot to hold a unilateral election.
He said the ruling party is selling the nomination forms as it does not want to resolve the ongoing political crisis through talks and negotiation.
Reiterating his party’s stance, Rizvi said, “We want to clearly state that BNP won’t participate in any unilateral polls under a partisan government. We together with people compel the government to arrange the polls under a non-party government.”
The ruling Awami league on Sunday started selling its nomination forms for the upcoming polls at the party’s central office at Bangabandhu Avenue.
Inaugurating the selling of party’s nomination forms, AL secretary general Syed Ashraful Islam urged the opposition to take part in the 10th parliamentary polls for the sake of continuation of democratic process.
Rizvi claimed that the country’s people spontaneously observed the hartal on the first day braving obstructions and repression by the law enforcers and ruling party ‘cadres’.
He alleged that the government like previous shutdowns let loose the members of law enforcers and ruling party cadres on the common people to foil the opposition’s justified movement for establishing people’s voting rights.
The BNP leader claimed that police arrested over 700 opposition activists across the country during the hartal hours, while more than 1,800 were injured in attacks by law enforcers and ‘ruling party cadres’ during the hartal hours.
Over 8,000 opposition men were implicated in fresh ‘false’ cases and 4 activists sentenced to different term of imprisonment, he added. -UNB
