BNP on Saturday alleged that the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), under the central bank, had sought the bank account details of 11 journalist leaders as part of a government move to gag the media.
“The government has long been enacting various black laws to suppress the media. They are now trying to shutdown online news portals through the court,” said BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Speaking at a rally in the Dhaka’s Nayabazar area, he also said Bangladesh Bank has now started harassing journalists by sending letters (seeking their bank account details) to them to silence them.
“Basically, they are taking these steps to gag the media and suppress people,” Rizvi added.
Local BNP leaders and activists arranged the program to protest a “false” campaign against BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and his family.
Rizvi alleged that Awami League leaders - from the prime minister to ministers - have been spreading propaganda against Zia and his family members to mislead the people. “But people have turned down the false campaigns with hatred.”
He claimed the government was failing to deliver on all fronts as its main focus is on corruption, not the people’s welfare.
“The government set a new record of corruption in Bangladesh history during its current tenure. It has lost the ground beneath its feet. The global community has also turned its back on the government,” the BNP leader said.
Rizvi said different countries in the world are also calling for the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh alongside the country’s people. “The United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union are mounting pressure for strengthening democracy in Bangladesh.”
He said their party together with people will force the current government to restore democracy in the country.