BNP’s doom shouldn’t be Awami League’s concern: Selima Rahman
In order to establish democracy in Bangladesh, students must form a movement after learning from the sacrifice of Shaheed Dr Milon, she added
Awami League's general secretary, Obaidul Quader, imparts lessons with his every word but BNP's ruin should not be a concern for them [Awami League], said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Dr Selima Rahman.
"He [Obaidul Quader] says BNP cannot campaign, it is dying and its ruin is nearing an end. But, I should ask, 'Why do they bother about BNP's doom?'" she added.
"Khaleda Zia is under house arrest today and was not granted bail even though she was eligible for it. The judiciary is no longer independent," Selima said while attending a discussion on the 30th death anniversary of Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Milon, who was killed during the 1990 anti-autocracy movement.
"I think Khaleda Zia was imprisoned to keep her away from politics. But it is time to free the leader of the country," said Selima at the programme organised on the National Press Club's premises in Dhaka.
"Thousands of our leaders and activists are in jail today, suffering in cases, being abducted and murdered. Despite all this, it [the government] has not been able to remove BNP from the minds of its leaders and workers," added Selima Rahman.
To students, the BNP leader said, in order to establish democracy in Bangladesh, they will have to form a movement after learning from the sacrifice of Shaheed Dr Milon. Students and youth will play a leading role in establishing democracy in the country.
"Famine is knocking at our door. Commodity prices are skyrocketing today. Common people are not able to buy food while thousands of young people are unemployed. Even then, the government is sleeping peacefully," she continued.
Aman Ullah Aman, a member of the BNP chairperson's advisory council, said, "We want to say that Hasina's government has no legitimacy. It holds onto power by cheating on the people with their right to vote. So, democracy must be recovered by toppling this illegitimate government."
Chaired by former student leader Amirul Islam Alim, the discussion was attended, among others, by: Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Asaduzzaman Ripon, Habibur Rahman Habib, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Zahir Uddin Swapan, Mostafizur Rahman Babul, Saifuddin Manik, Khandakar Lutfor Rahman, Asadur Rahman Khan, Shirin Sultana, and several student leaders.