BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia may be 'tried for fraudulence' as she celebrates a 'fake birthday' on the day of Bangabandhu killing, Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu is quoted to have suggested in the state-run news agency BSS.
According to the report published in BSS on Sunday, Inu suggested 'review of options to try' Khaleda under Section 420 of the Penal Code for 'fraudulence with the history of independence and her own birthday'.
Inu, who also heads Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, an ally in the grand alliance government, was quoted as saying Khaleda and her party now thrives on "three lies" to survive in politics. According to the information minister the “lies” are: a) 1971 proclamation of independence, b) the first presidency and c) "repulsive celebration of a fake birthday".
"This (propagation) is a matter of serious fraudulence and options should be examined if she could be tried under Section 420 of the Penal Code," he said.
Inu added: "Propagating these 'three lies' they are ridiculing the very basis of Bangladesh and rejoicing the August 15, 1975, killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a discreet manner."
The minister said after BNP's founder General Ziaur Rahman made his debut in politics as the beneficiary of the August 15, 1975 carnage his party then first launched a propaganda claiming he had proclaimed the independence.
And of late, the minister said, the fugitive elder son of the couple, Tarique Rahman, came up with an outlandish claim from London, saying his father was the first president of Bangladesh.
Proclamation of independence & first presidency
Negating the claims, Inu referred to the April 17, 1971 proclamation by the first Bangladesh government popularly called Mujibnagar government which is incorporated in the constitution as its "inalienable part".
Inu said none can deny the Mujibnagar government's legitimacy as it was constituted by the majority members elected to the Pakistan National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly in the 1970 elections.
The Awami League under Bangabandhu's leadership came up as the majority party in that election winning 160 seats out of 300 in the then national assembly and 160 seats out of 162 in the provincial assembly.
Had their claims been true, the minister said, instead of March 26, Bangladesh would have celebrated the Independence Day on March 27, the day Ziaur Rahman made the announcement in the name of Bangabandhu from the clandestine Kalurghat Radio.
"Throughout all these years since the independence, BNP too never came up with any proposal to change the Independence Day either," he said.
Birthday issue
Turning to the birthday issue, Inu said: "The celebration of August 15 as Khaleda Zia's birthday is a recent innovation and I am throwing her a challenge to disown her (Begum Zia) red passport (containing her birthday) if she can."
"Since they cannot openly rejoice the Bangabandhu killing, they celebrate it by cutting cakes in the name of her birthday, as the carnage paved the ways for them to capture the state power," he said.
This notion, he said, proved correct further as Begum Zia remained silent after the execution of the verdict of the protracted trial of the Bangabandhu Murder Case while the Zia regime previously had rewarded the killers with diplomatic assignments abroad instead of exposing them to justice.
"By celebrating the fake birthday she is simultaneously doing an act of fraudulence with her own parents as well as the nation... this is very repulsive," Inu said.
No official or government documents indicate Begum Zia was born on August 15, however her original date of birth appeared to be a matter of controversy as different official records suggested five different dates.
The official biography which was released after her oath of office as the prime minister in 1991, says she was born on August 19, 1947 while her first passport recorded the date to be August 19, 1946.
As a record in examination of the education board the date is September 5, 1946 while her marriage certificate mentioned her date of birth to be on September 9, 1944.
