Ruling Awami League’s Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday said if the people of Bangladesh got hold of Tarique Rahman they would cut off his tongue for making false statements against Bangabandhu and the Awami League.
He made the statement at a press conference on BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman’s recent remarks in which he called Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “a razakar” and said the Awami League did not participate in the country’s Liberation War in 1971.
Former foreign minster and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Dipu Moni and other central leaders were present at the press conference.
“It is not new. Tarique Rahman has made such statements before. Tarique makes such statements because he is an ISI agent. Only a drug addict can say such things,” Hasan Mahmud said.
He said: “Ziaur Rahman failed to teach Tarique the right things and Khaleda Zia has failed to teach and manage her son. This is not my statement, these are the words of former BNP leader Colonel Oli Ahmed.”
The AL leader said: “Oil Ahmed has said just because a mother was bad that doesn’t necessarily mean the son should also be bad.”
At the press conference Hasan Mahmud displayed an affidavit of Tarique Rahman announcing his resignation from the post of senior vice-chairman of the BNP and from active politics.
The affidavit was written on a Tk50 stamp. Copies of it were distributed to reporters at the press conference. Hasan Mahmud said Tarique was trying to remain politically newsworthy by making objectionable comments, despite signing the affidavit saying he would resign from politics.
While addressing a programme in London, Tarique called Bangladesh’s founding Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a “razakar,” a term meaning “traitor.”
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s elder son made the statement after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday advised Khaleda to ask her “spoiled” son to watch his mouth when giving statements, or the people of the country would teach him a lesson.
“The people of Bangladesh will never accept such lies,” Hasina said.
On Tarique, Hasina said: “Being uneducated, how can he know the history of the Liberation War?”
“Since he is not educated and civilised, he talks rubbish like an uncivilised person. The people of Bangladesh know how to teach the uncivilised a lesson,” the prime minister said.
Hasina also said the masterminds of the August 21 grenade attack and other killings during the rule of the BNP-Jamaat government must be brought to book just as the war criminals have been.
The prime minister said the verdicts against convicted war criminals would be executed. Nobody would be able to help the war criminals escape the judicial process, she said.
Khaleda yesterday, at a programme in the capital, warned Hasina to control her mouth when speaking about Ziaur Rahman’s family and the BNP, the party he founded.
A number of prominent citizens and leaders of the ruling AL vented their anger over Tarique’s comments, terming him insane.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant against Tarique in a sedition and defamation case filed for calling Bangabandhu a “razakar.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Yunus Khan passed the order yesterday. Advocate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman Dulal filed the case with the court the same day.
Another Dhaka court issued an arrest warrant against Tarique in a defamation case for calling Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “Pakbandhu” on December 10.
Tarique has been living in London since September 11, 2008 on medical grounds after securing parole in various cases including money laundering.
He faces 14 charges, of which four, including the August 21 grenade attack case, are on trial. The rest have been stayed.
AL leaders have said Tarique was in London under the political shelter of the British Government to avoid the cases pending against him.
AL, Jubo League joint meeting
A joint meeting of the central leaders of the ruling Awami League and its affiliated organisation, the Jubo League, was held yesterday to decide upon a programme to celebrate January 5 as “Victory Day of Democracy,” to commemorate the national election held on the day this year.
The leaders of Jubo League Central Unit and it’s Dhaka City North and South units were present at the Dhanmondi offices of the AL president, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.