BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Wednesday said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s phone call to Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia was nothing but drama that was meant to mislead people, UNB reported.
“The government has no sincerity for a dialogue. The prime minister’s phone call to the opposition leader was a drama, as her main intention was to confuse people by having the hartal withdrawn by the opposition leader,” he said.
The BNP policymaker made the allegation at a discussion on caretaker government, arranged by the Ziaur Rahman Foundation at Jatiya Press Club.
Gayeshwar said the Hasina’s drama outshined the performance of famous actors in Bangladesh and India.
He said Hasina cheated the country’s people by staging the drama over the dialogue. “She talked over phone in a slow and low voice and tried to make the opposition leader angry. They played ABC (Avoid, Bypass and Confusion) with the people and the opposition.”
Gayeshwar also criticised Indian newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika for publishing what he said was a biased and belittling news item about BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman.
He alleged that the government had provided the newspaper with information about Tarique, as it favours blessings from the neighbouring country over public support.
The BNP leader urged India to be a friend and good neighbour to the people of Bangladesh, rather than maintaining relations with only a specific party.
Regarding the election issue, Gayeshwar said the government had scrapped the caretaker government system because it knew it would not be able to return to power through a fair election overseen by a non-party administration. He accused the prime minister of “amending the constitution to [her] own interest” and called for her to “now amend it again for the sake of the people.”
Calling the Election Commission the government’s puppet, he said it would not be possible to hold a fair election under the current commission, which looks to the government for making any decisions.
“We won’t take part in the polls under this commission,” Gayeshwar said.
