The BNP yesterday said the countrymen were frustrated and aggrieved over the prime minister’s statements about her New York tour, and Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddique’s remarks on hajj and the Prophet.
“We found nothing in the premier’s statement that addressed the Latif issue. She said action would be taken as per the rules, which means she avoided the issue shrewdly,” acting secretary general of the party Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.
In an instant reaction to the prime minister’s statements, Fakhrul, who was at party Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office, said: “If anyone criticises the premier, he faces a seven-year imprisonment but even after slamming the Prophet, no action was taken against Latif.”
Fakhrul reiterated his call to try Latif according to the existing law apart from removing himself from the party.
“Latif is now abroad but he the Interpol can arrest him. The government knows it well. The prime minister said the government would not shoulder any responsibility for Laitf’s remarks as those were his personal affairs. However, the government cannot avoid the responsibility involving Latif’s remarks as he is still a minister,” he said.
No matter what the prime minister says, her government has no other option but to but to hold talks with the BNP, Fakhrul said, adding that there would be confrontations like the past otherwise.
The BNP leader objected to the prime minister’s remarks in which she termed the BNP corrupt, saying: “The illegal and immoral prime minister cannot say this because it is her government that created a record in the level of corruption in the country.”
Fakhrul accused the premier of making false statements, and said her statements were egocentric and ignored the public sentiment.
“The prime minister of the illegal government flew to New York with an entourage of 185 people whereas Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi went there with people’s power. As she does not have public support, she was accompanied by a large entourage,” he added.
