Claiming that she was not scared of arrest, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday asked her party men to stay united and assured that she would be with them “no matter where she might be.”
The former prime minister made the remark while addressing a rally at the Niaz Mohammad High School playground in Brahmanbaria yesterday.
Not her usual confident self, Khaleda, who fumbled several times in her speech, warned that the government must be ready to face the music from people, including the Islamic preachers, if she was arrested.
On Monday, a special court started hearing a corruption case against Khaleda and her son Tarique Rahman.
Citing security reasons, she skipped her scheduled court appearance because her 20-party alliance enforced a dawn-to-dusk countrywide hartal on that day protesting the 16th amendment to the constitution.
Soon after the BNP-led alliance called its Monday’s hartal, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said if anyone tried to destabilise the country, even Khaleda would be arrested if needed.
Yesterday in Brahmanbaria, the BNP chief said Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League men should get ready for jail as she had “proofs of all their corruptions.”
As part of the preparations for yesterday’s rally, all classes and examinations at the Niaz Mohammad High School remained suspended for two days.
This was Khaleda Zia’s fourth programme outside the capital since the January 5 national election, which she and her allies had boycotted.
While addressing the rally, Khaleda alleged that the government had passed the 16th amendment to the constitution so that the judges could be intimidated to deliver fabricated verdicts against the opposition leaders and activists.
Referring to Monday’s hartal, which some even from BNP had said was an excuse for her to skip court appearance, Khaleda said: “They [20-party alliance] will take up harsher programmes if the government does not scrap it [16th amendment to the constitution] immediately.”
The BNP has been saying for some months that it was going to launch a strong anti-government movement very soon. It said it was taking time because of the ongoing reorganisation process to rejuvenate the party grassroots.
On September 17, the government passed the Constitution (16th Amendment) Bill 2014 which gave back legislature its power to impeach judges for “misconduct and incapacity.”
Yesterday, Khaleda Zia demanded immediate arrest of RAB Additional Director General Col Ziaul Ahsan for what she said was his involvement in “killings around the country.”
“The real mystery behind the Narayanganj seven murders will be unveiled if he [Col Zia] is interrogated. The Prime Minister is also linked with this incident. I do not understand how can the RAB official still hold his position [despite the allegations]?” Khaleda said.
Demanding RAB’s disbandment, she said: “We formed RAB in order to prevent terrorism in the country. But, the present government is using the force to serve its political purposes. The Awami League government has used RAB to kill at least 310 leaders and activists of our alliance. They have also abducted 56 members of the alliance.”
The BNP-led 20-party alliance organised the rally in Brahmanbaria protesting what it said were abductions, killings and repression on opposition men by the government, the National Broadcast Policy and the 16th amendment to the constitution, and demanding election under caretaker government.
In order to welcome Khaleda Zia, local leaders and activists put up around 0200 archways on the 15km road stretching from to Ashuganj to the rally venue. Hundreds of people carrying posters and festoons joined the rally.
Before coming to Brahmanbaria, Khaleda also visited Rajbari, Munshiganj and Dinajpur to drum up public support.
