Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday questioned whether BNP chief Khaleda Zia could show such generosity that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has shown to her.
Khaleda Zia was in power when “her son carried out grenade attacks on the Awami League rally” on August 21, 2004 that killed 23 people and Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped death, he said.
“Later, she (Khaleda Zia) told parliament that our leader (Sheikh Hasina) carried the grenades in her vanity bag,” Hasan told reporters after attending the 56th Chittagong University (CU) Day function in the city.
Sheikh Hasina went to Khaleda Zia’s residence to show sympathy over the death of her son Arafat Rahman Coco and waited there for about 20-25 minutes. “But, she (Begum Zia) didn’t open the door.”
He also said: “Sheikh Hasina invited Begum Zia before the 2014 election. But, she rejected the invitation rudely.”
The minister also mentioned: “Khaleda Zia used to cut cakes on August 15 marking her fake birthday to ridicule the massacre of August 15, 1975 massacre and to encourage the killers [of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and others].”
Hasan said that Khaleda’s staying out of jail and having a house help without securing bail or acquittal was unprecedented in the sub-continent. “Even I and no one else could show the generosity shown by the prime minister,” he added.
Replying to another query over a comment of the BNP secretary general, the minister said that the countrymen had not forgotten the anarchy of the BNP.
“The BNP did the politics of petrol bomb attacks, blockade and arson attacks on school students, musallis and mowazzins. Our party doesn’t practice such politics,” said Hasan, also the joint general secretary of the Awami League.
During the function, the minister said that the CU has played a pivotal role in building society and the development of human resources in the last 55 years.
He wished that the reputation of the university spread across the globe through its great role in practicing culture, free-thinking and research.
CU Pro Vice Chancellor Prof Benu Kumar Dey, former vice chancellors Prof Dr M Badiul Alam and Anwarul Azim Arif, Dr Abdul Karim, President of CU Alumni Association and former principal secretary, General Secretary Mahabubul Alam, former CUCSU VPs Mazharul Haque Shah and Nazim Uddin, among others, addressed the function with CU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shirin Akhtar in the chair.
CU Registrar SM Monirul Hasan gave the welcome address while Prof Mohibul Aziz, of Bangla Department and dean of CU Arts Faculty, read out the keynote paper in the function.
