Ruling out BNP's allegation that Begum Khaleda Zia has been confined to her Gulshan office, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina termed it as a drama. She said the BNP chairperson staged such many dramas in the past. "Khaleda Zia is not confined to her Gulshan office. Who has confined her? She can move to her residence any time," Sheikh Hasina said. The PM made the statement while exchanging views with leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at her official Ganobhaban residence here this evening. The view exchange meeting was arranged on the occasion of the 67th founding anniversary of the BCL. With BCL President HM Badiuzzaman Sohag in the chair, the function was also addressed, by BCL General Secretary Siddiqui Nazmul Alam. Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury was also present at the dais. The premier said Begum Khaleda Zia has been staying at her Gulshan office as per her wish. "For this, bed and other furniture were kept ready from earlier. But she is now claiming that she has been confined there. Such dramas are nothing new for her. She staged such many dramas in the past," she said. In this connection, Sheikh Hasina said police have stepped up her security following her request. "When police responded to her request, she is now claiming that she has been confined," Sheikh Hasina added.
Hasina said Begum Zia staged dramas in 1986 during the anti-Ershad movement. "She went underground at that time by calling upon the people to make revolt. But police found her at Hotel Purbani later and brought her out by breaking open the door of a room of the hotel." Sheikh Hasina said at the same way, the BNP chairperson went into hiding two hours before the BDR mutiny in 2009. Calling upon Begum Khaleda Zia to stop such dramas, the PM said the BNP chief plays hide and seek to harm the country, state and the people. "Everybody knows your drama. So I would like to tell you to stop such dramas and killing of the people," she said, posing a question how she gave directives to kill people on the day of Eid-e-Miladunnabi? Sheikh Hasina said the BNP-Jamaat is unleashing violent acts to destroy democracy and save the war criminals. "Begum Zia is shedding crocodile's tears and making ill efforts to protect war criminals who carried out massacre in 1971," she said. The Prime Minister said BNP-Jamaat resorted to violent acts before the January 5 polls to foil the elections and they urged the people to boycott polls. "But the people did not respond to Begum Zia's call. Now BNP has again engaged in killing and bombing to take revenge on the people," she said. Sheikh Hasina said they won't gain anything by killing and bombing. "If Begum Zia has any good words and good thinking and wants to do welfare for the people, she can tell those to the people. But why this killing and bombing?," she questioned. Referring to violent acts of BNP-Jamaat before the January 5 election, the Prime Minister said the BNP-Jamaat terrorists committed various misdeeds including burning people to death at that time to foil the polls. "There is no such a heinous act like burning people to death. But BNP-Jamaat committed such crimes by pouring petrol on the people," she said, posing a question why they are unleashing such violent acts again? Sheikh Hasina said that time was transitional period of the previous Awami League government. "A new government was supposed to be formed at that time as the five-year tenure of the government completed," she said. "Begum Zia failed to foil the polls at that situation. But how she thinks that she will foil everything and overthrow the government by killing one or two people... I don't know how she thinks it," she said. "So I would like to tell her to shun this path," she said.