Govt harbours criminals, Hasina tells Khulna rally

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina speaks at a public meeting at the Circuit House Maidan in Khulna yesterday. Photo: STAR

The BNP-Jamaat unholy alliance has ruined the national economy during its 23-month rule and is harbouring criminals, she said.

Addressing a big public meeting at the Circuit House Maidan here yesterday afternoon, the leader of the opposition in parliament said murders and other crimes are on rise as criminals are sheltered by a 'godmother' and a 'godbrother'.

Hasina asked the prime minister to step down if her government fails to reopen all laid off mills and factories and reinstate thousands of Jobless workers and employees. Armed goons of BNP-Jamaat alliance are now controlling trade and commerce, she said.

Hasina alleged the coalition government is responsible for the killing of at least 24,000 people since it took over. Leaders and activists of her party are being killed in a planned way, particularly in the south-western region of the country. Thousands of women and girls have been raped and repressed and policeman are also being killed, she said.

The former prime minister accused the alliance government of making parliament inactive. It has created a reign of terror, targeting opposition leaders, she said.

The government has not yet taken any legal action concerning arms haul from a fish processing factory in Rupsha upazila, owned by Khulna City BNP president, she added.

The opposition leader claimed a top leader of the government and family members have amassed over Tk 11,000 crore from different sources through forgery.

She said the government's goat rearing programme and allocation of Tk 100 crore for this are aimed to cheat poor people in the name poverty alleviation.

The AL chief claimed the five-year rule of her party was a 'golden age' as people lived in peace.

She called upon the people to make the September 25 hartal a success to intensify the anti-government movement.

Hasina blamed 'BNP-linked' criminals for the gruesome murder of Dr S K Mukharjee in Jhenaidha on Thursday. She mentioned that Mukherjee was a former president of Jhenaidah unit of Bangladesh Medical Association, a veteran AL leader and a member of the central Presidium of Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Okya Parishad.

Chaired by Khulna district AL President Shaikh Haroon-ur-Rashid, the meeting was also addressed by party general secretary M A Jalil, Abdus Samad Azad, Motia Chowdhury, Mohammod Nasim, Abdul Mannan, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Obaidul Kader, Major General (Retd) Subid Ali Bhuiyan and slain city AL president Manjurul Imam's son Abdullah AL Mamun.