Govt cannot be ousted through clandestine activities, PM says

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government cannot be overthrown through clandestine activities and attacks as the people do not support the opposition movement.

“What can they do by imposing blockades? They want to topple the government. But how can they overthrow the government? The government cannot be ousted through such attacks,” Sheikh Hasina, president of the ruling Awami League, said while addressing a rally arranged by her party’s Narsingdi unit at Musleh Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in the district.

She said a movement cannot be waged if the people are not behind it. “The BNP is a terrorist party. Jamaat is a party of war criminals. The people of this country cannot hear their words (call),” she added.

The prime minister blasted the BNP accusing it of burning people through arson at a time when the students will sit for examinations in November ahead of the next general election.

“They do not date come out in public,” she said, adding that they would rather set buses and even ambulances on fire and burn people.

She said BNP men beat up journalists and lynched a policeman in broad daylight. “They have been violating human rights,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina urged the people to apprehend and throw the arsonists into the fire started by them. “If anyone carries out arson attacks and sets buses on fire, catch them and throw them into the same fire. Then they would learn a lesson, otherwise not,” she said.

Coming down heavily on BNP leader Tarique Rahman, the prime minister said he was involved in many offences, including the August 21 grenade attack, arms smuggling and money laundering.

“He is in London fleeing from (the country) and issues orders to carry out arson violence from there. Come back to Bangladesh if you have the courage,” she said.

Comparing an attack carried out by BNP men on a hospital and ambulance to Israel’s bombing of a Palestinian hospital, she said followers of BNP leaders Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman attack pregnant women in ambulances. “I wonder if they are bastard children of Israel,” she said.

Source: UNB