In an interesting statement, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel on Saturday claimed that Prime Minister’s adviser HT Imam is a ‘BNP man’ and urged the government to not hurt him.
“HT Imam is our man. Don’t dare to hurt him. Our people are everywhere and they’ll inform us everything at the right time. He (Imam) divulged the truth and so did Latif Siddique. Many other people will also reveal the facts,” he said.Maruf said those who are now coming up with true assertions from within the government are the people of BNP and democracy. “There’re many BNP men like HT Imam outside our own party (BNP).”
Accusing the government of trying to split BNP, Khaleda’s press secretary said, “Don’t hatch plots to destroy BNP. Concentrate to put your own house and into order.”
Maruf made the claim while addressing a discussion meeting arranged by Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, marking the 50th birthday of BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman.
HT Imam drew flak from the ruling party senior leaders for his some remarks at a programme of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) on November 19 as the opposition parties, mainly the BNP, took his statements as ‘hotcake’ in support of their claim that the January-5 election was a staged-managed one.
At the BCL discussion at Dhaka University, HT Imam said many pro-AL officials, before the January 5 polls, were inducted in mobile courts and this helped the government hold the election despite the BNP-Jamaat’s bid to thwart it. “They (pro-AL officials) stood beside us.”
He remained that there had been many pilots earlier against BNP to split it and even many big leaders quit party, but Ziaur Rahman founded party still remains as the country’s biggest and most popular party. “No one could harm the party earlier and won’t be able to do so in the future as people are the power of BNP.”
The BNP chief’s press secretary also said BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman will return home as soon as he recovers from his illness. – UNB
