One notices, not without a little consternation, the government's attempt to point an accusing finger at the main opposition party for the 21 August incident. This was more than evident in the speeches of the senior BNP members at the said rally. The government must understand that, if casting accusation against its main opponent is meant as a political ploy, ulterior motives apart, it is a devious one by any count. Given the current state of things, and the gravity of the occurrence of 21 August, to breed unsubstantiated allegations, more so by the party in power that is supposed to be privy to accurate information, is fraught with danger.

By the same token we cannot condone the allegations made against the ruling BNP by the leader of the opposition, linking it to the dastardly event of the 21 August. While one can understand the charged emotion and the psychological stress under which those remarks were made, we feel that such utterances do not behove our national leaders. It is counterproductive and damaging in the long run, to say the least.

We speak for all when we say that our political leaders must desist from trading in rumours, since rumours have an uncanny knack of self-generation and convolution in the process of propagation. The practice of trading accusations must stop also because not only does it vitiate the political atmosphere, it seriously influences the process of objective investigation of the cases, particularly when that emanates from the government.

Unless trading of charges and accusations are purged from our political culture, the desire to inculcate a new culture in our politics will remain a pious hope only.