The BNP has reacted sharply to the government’s decision to take legal action against Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, saying the decision smacked of vengeance.
In a media statement on Wednesday, BNP spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir alleged the government was ‘insulting’ the former Grameen Bank Managing Director out of ‘blind rage’.
The Cabinet on Monday decided to take legal action against Yunus for allegedly evading taxes by making false tax relief claims, violating foreign travel regulations, and misuse of power.
The move comes after Yunus backed the demand for a caretaker government to supervise the approaching general elections amidst a tussle between him and the government over the future of Grameen Bank.
He has been a staunch critic of the government since his ouster from the bank three years ago. The ruling Awami League leaders had been criticising him for his remarks.
The government was vindictive in insulting and dishonouring Yunus regularly, said the statement.
Fearing that cases would be hastily lodged against the Grameen Bank ‘founder’, the BNP urged the government to refrain from doing so.
Fakhrul in the statement alleged the government had done everything possible to harass Yunus and was, in the process, defaming Grameen Bank in the international arena.
He said the helplessness of the opposition party and that of ordinary people in Bangladesh could be easily fathomed, given the harassment suffered by someone of Yunus stature. -bdnews24.com
