It's a two person party now

The ruling Awami League leaders yesterday described their counterparts in archrival BNP as failures and doubted whether the nation would get anything from them.

BNP is a two-person party now, said AL presidium member Matia Chowdhury, alluding to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman.

“Politics is for the people. What will BNP gain by killing people and destroying civilisation? It is proved that their leader has failed, and so has her bad son," she said.

"What could they give to the people?" she asked at a seminar on "Bangladesh Awami League in the fight against communalism, terrorism, and militancy under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina".

The party organised it at the capital's Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

Presiding over the seminar, prime minister's adviser HT Imam said Tarique had visited Pakistan from London many times only to conspire to govern Bangladesh along the lines of Pakistani ideals. He urged BNP to return to "healthy politics" and assured that it would be given space then.

Ripping into Saudi Arabia, AL General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said the country was the "main patron of communalism" and created unrest in the Middle East.

Responding to the query on why AL did not join BNP's sixth national council at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh yesterday, he said AL was not invited.

However, BNP's social welfare secretary Abul Khayer had visited the AL chief's Dhanmondi office and handed over two invitation cards signed by Khaleda to AL sub-committee assistant secretary Abdul Awal Shamim. The seminar was also addressed by National University Vice Chancellor Dr Harun-or-Rashid, Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee acting president Shahriar Kabir, and eminent lawyer Amir-ul Islam.

Meanwhile, AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif called BNP's council a farce. "BNP's two top leaders were elected before the council, and councillors were not allowed to vote," he told a press conference at the AL chief's Dhanmondi office.