BNP Standing Committee Member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy has criticised party’s central leadership’s handling of ‘traitors’.
He said many of those expelled for anti-party activities after the traumatic the 1/11 (January 11, 2007) political changeover were later forgiven.
The BNP leader said at a discussion at the National Press Club on Friday that the conspiracy after the 1/11 changeover had failed because BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman had strengthened the party organisation at the grass-roots level.“Many of those who had been expelled then are now being rewarded. It’s a weakness of the BNP that we not only forgive a criminal but also reward him/her. This hurts the party’s grass-roots leaders and activists,” he said.
Gayeshwar urged party leaders and activists to be alert about the ‘traitors’ lurking within the party.
Democratic Movement organised the meet, marking the seventh anniversary of Tarique Rahman’s arrest.
Gayeshwar said, “After the 1/11 episode, March 7 was a conspiracy day in the history of Bangladesh. Tarique Rahman was arrested on that day. The conspirators of 1/11 political changeover have crippled Tarique by torturing him since he wanted to organise the party in light of the idealism of Ziaur Rahman.”
About the reformers during the military-backed caretaker government in 2007, he said, “Many of them have been rewarded. The government has crippled the country and its democracy by holding a voter-less national election on Jan 5 in the same way the caretaker government had crippled Tarique Rahman.”
He said a movement would have to be launched to combat this situation and detained party leaders and activists would have to be freed. “This fight is for the restoration of democracy.”
Recalling that BNP founder Ziaur Rahman had once said that people were the real source of power, Roy said Sheikh Hasina relied on India for power.
Ninety-five percent of the voters had boycotted the polls on Jan 5 elections, he claimed.
He said the Awami League had formed the government with five per cent voting and India’s blessings. – bdnews24.com
