The Awami League yesterday said it had never attempted to split up the members of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, adding that the AL did not believe in ruining other political parties.
“The BNP is announcing falsehood against the government and Awami League. In the history of Awami League, there has been no record of us splitting up any political party. Rather, it was BNP founder Ziaur Rahman who tried to ruin and ban Awami League after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” said the party’s Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif.
His comments were a response to BNP Vice-Chairman Maj (retired) Hafizuddin Ahmed’s claim on Thursday that the government had been trying their best to break up the 20-party alliance.
Addressing a press conference at the party chief’s Dhanmondi office, Hanif accused Hafizuddin of making baseless remarks to get a suitable position during his party’s crisis moment.
“BNP leader Mr Hafizuddin is trying to fool the nation with an unacceptable and fake issue. He [earlier] tried to ruin the BNP as well by supporting the previous army-backed government,” Hanif said.
The comments from both leaders follow the departure of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), a founding partner of the alliance, from the political combine on Thursday.
IOJ chief Abdul Latif Nejami, however, said the decision to severe long-time ties with the BNP was not the result of any kind of pressure from any quarter.
Replying to a query yesterday, Hanif said the 14-party alliance would not take in any former BNP-led alliance members as those political parties were against the ideals of the Liberation War.
“However, if any of these parties choose to shift to the ideals of the Liberation War, we will consider about them,” he added.
Meanwhile Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan also echoed Hanif yesterday, telling a programme in Madaripur that a large number of BNP leaders would leave the party soon because of the destructive politics of Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman.
