BNP collecting data on ‘govt’s corruption and economic crisis’ to wage movement afresh

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) thinks that the government is not going to free itself from ‘rampant corruption’ and ‘acute economic crisis’ anytime soon. The party wants to focus on these two issues while preparing for the movement in the coming days.

The party made this decision at a meeting of the standing committee, the highest decision making body, on 3 June.

Sources from the key opposition party said the BNP is planning to hold a press conference on the corruption of the government. The party will then make an annals of the corruption and distribute it across the country and hold rallies in Dhaka.

The party might roll out the demo after Eid ul Azha though no date has yet been fixed officially.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday night shared the plan of the party with Prothom Alo.

“We are yet to roll out any programme. We are now trying to do some work on the corruption (of the government). We are bringing these out to the people and will try to forge movements in the coming days. We will go to the people with the record of corruption and looting of this government,” Mirza Fakhrul said.

BNP has been accusing the Awami League government of rampant corruption and money laundering for 16 years. Information of the government's corruption and huge money laundering was also revealed in different surveys of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and various international organisations.

According to TI’s report published in January this year, corruption in Bangladesh surpasses the countries where democracy is nonexistent and authoritarianism is prevalent. In recent times, reports of corruption committed by former army chief Aziz Ahmed and former police chief Benazir Ahmed came to the fore.

In a human chain Saturday, BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy remarked that the administration has turned into a business entity.

He said, “There is no jail in the country that does not have our activists incarcerated. This arrest is also a trade. Arrest of a person means opening up scope of trade, money has to be provided for the relatives to visit inmates, to provide them food or to prevent remand when they are produced before the court. It seems the administration is not working to provide safety to people, rather its main focus is to save killers, corrupt people and looters.”

BNP leaders think that incidents of the former army chief and police chief testify to the corruption and power abuse inside the government. Corruption of these two officials has now become a major talking point everywhere. So the BNP wants to present the issues of these two chiefs as proof of corruption and oppression of the government.

BNP leaders also allege the activists of anti-government political parties were subject to flagrant violation of human rights and political persecution during the tenures of the former army and police chiefs. Many political activists were victims of enforced disappearance and many were even maimed due to torture.

The United States imposed sanctions on former IGP Benazir when he was the director general of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Meanwhile, former army chief Aziz Ahmed was sanctioned by the US on 20 May. Since then, BNP leaders have been criticising these two former top officials.

Top BNP leaders termed the proposed national budget, unveiled in the parliament on Thursday, for this fiscal as a fresh plan to loot the country. They remarked how those wallowing in corruption can ensure social safety for people and decrease the prices of essentials.

“We have become exasperated, speaking about the corruption of this government. This corruption is responsible for the ongoing economic crisis in the country. Whoever takes responsibility comes out a thief,” Mirza Fakhrul told Prothom Alo.