'Two accused' in top two posts

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the BNP elected "two accused" in its highest posts and termed the re-election of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman as the party's chairperson and senior vice-chairman “a drama”.

"The BNP has staged a good drama over election of its leaders. Whom has the BNP elected? They have elected two accused. One [Khaleda] is accused of misappropriating orphans' money and another [Tarique] of the August 21 grenade attack, money laundering and corruption.

"His [Tarique's] name is also on Interpol's wanted list. These are the leaders of BNP. What can this party deliver to the people?" she said.

Hasina, also the prime minister, was addressing a rally at Suhrawardi Udyan with Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury in the chair.

The ruling AL organised the rally marking the historic March 7 of 1971, commemorating the historic speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

A large contingent of law enforcers cordoned off the venue and frisked everyone at the entrance. Ruling party leaders, activists and supporters started flocking to the ground around 12:30pm.

Earlier on Sunday, Khaleda Zia was re-elected as the BNP chairperson, while her son Tarique Rahman was re-elected as the party's senior vice-chairman unopposed ahead of the party's sixth national council slated for March 19.

The premier came down heavily on her political arch-rival Khaleda for her movement in 2014 and 2015 saying she would have to answer for this and face trial on charge of burning people.

"The BNP does politics by killing and burning people. But people did not surrender to arson terrorists; rather they resisted them and compelled them to withdraw the blockade," she said.

Hasina alleged that Khaleda had carried out destructive movement with an ill motive to destroy the spirit of the Liberation War and foil the country's economic development as she [Khaleda Zia] could not tolerate the progress of the country.

The premier suggested that Khaleda leave Bangladesh for Pakistan to relieve the people of Bangladesh. Khaleda was born in India, but her soul remains in Pakistan, she claimed.

"The BNP has polluted the country's politics," Hasina said, adding, the party has nothing to serve the people as it was formed by a person, who assumed state power in a way declared illegal by the court.

The AL chief also sought public support to build Bangladesh as a developed country in accordance with the spirit of the Liberation War.

"We want to celebrate the golden jubilee of our independence in 2021 by turning the country into a hunger- and poverty-free middle-income nation."

AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohammad Nasim, Syed Ashraful Islam, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Dipu Moni and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, among others, spoke at the rally.

Earlier in the morning, Hasina along with her party and cabinet colleagues paid rich tributes to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi.