Dhaka, Aug 24 – Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Friday that BNP will face a new crisis once the verdict in the August 21 grenade attack case is delivered. Quader came up with the remarks while talking to journalists after paying his respects to AL leader Ivy Rahman at her grave in Banani on her death anniversary.
It was on this day in 2004 that Ivy, women affairs secretary of AL and married to another top-level party leader and later president, Zillur Rahman, succumbed to the injuries she suffered three days earlier when a massive AL rally in front of their party office in the capital’s Bangabandhu Avenue came under attack.
The volley of grenades hurled at the sea of people, with the clear intent of eliminating the top leadership of the then-opposition, gave the incident the name it is immortalized in history as.
“The nation is happy as the verdict would be given soon, but BNP is not happy. BNP is tensed now, as there is a possibility the verdict will be delivered in September,” Quader later backtracked a b. The attack was carried out following direct instigation of BNP, and direct planning and directions from Hawa Bhaban,” said Quader, also Road, Transport, and Bridges Minister.
Hawa Bhaban was an alternative power centre that developed during the last BNP-JI government, said to be frequented by the party’s scion Tarique Rahman, and his followers, causing many decisionsa to be taken there or even to be delayed pending confirming from Hawa Bhaban.
To another query from reporters, he said that if BNP tries to foil the election, people will also resist them.- UNB
