Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Saturday said unlike the BNP, his party or its chief, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, does not do politics to satisfy any foreign masters.
"The Sheikh Hasina-led government is joining BRICS for the welfare of the people of Bangladesh. Neither the Awami League nor Sheikh Hasina does politics to appease foreign masters as the BNP does. The Awami League does politics for the betterment of the people," Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said in a statement sent to the media condemning “politically motivated and misleading” statements made by BNP leaders.
The Awami League leader said the statement of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir about joining BRICS is nothing but an expression of his ignorance.
"India and Africa are among the founders of the BRICS bank. It maintains close ties with the West. Bangladesh recently received financial support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB)," he added.
Pointing out that the BNP has maintained close relations with the Jamaat-e-Islami since its inception, Obaidul Quader said: "Traditionally, Ghulam Azam's party, Jamaat-e-Islami, is a close ally of the BNP".
BNP founder Ziaur Rahman brought Pakistani citizen Ghulam Azam from Pakistan to Bangladesh and Ziaur Rahman's wife Begum Khaleda Zia granted Ghulam Azam Bangladeshi citizenship, he said.
He said after the 2001 election, the BNP united with Jamaat to form a government and destroyed the spirit of Bangladesh's War of Liberation.
Khaleda Zia waged a movement to stop the trial of war criminals, including the top leader of Jamaat, he said.
Obaidul Quader said during the rule of the BNP, the politics of Pakistani philosophy got stronger in Bangladesh and the process of empowerment of Jamaat started.
Besides, Jamaat became a “poisonous tree” in Bangladesh under the patronage of the BNP, he said, adding that the conscious or wise know that Jamaat is the B team of the BNP.
The veteran Awami League leader further said that it was not long ago that the BNP vandalized and set fire to the houses of minorities for the "offence" of not voting for the BNP.
Besides, arson in the name of hartal, killing innocent people by hurling petrol bombs, cutting trees and burning land offices were also carried out by BNP men, he added.
Quader said BNP leaders have forgotten it, but the people have not forgotten the violence of the BNP.
In fact, to hide these misdeeds, BNP leaders always spread propaganda and blame the people related to the ruling party looking for fake reasons for their self-satisfaction, said the minister.
