Govt takes steps so BNP can hold rally smoothly: Info minister

Information and Broadcasting minister and Awami League joint general secretary Hasan Mahmud said, “We did not take any policy of suppressing BNP. We were not even allowed to hold rallies when BNP was in power. There used to be a barbed wire fence in front of our party office. We could not go beyond that fence.”

He said this during a press meeting while attending a discussion meeting organised on the occasion of Chittagong University Day on Friday.

The information minister said, “BNP was involved with the grenade attack carried out on 21 August 2004 on our rally. Sheikh Helaluddin's public meeting was attacked and several people were killed. They repeatedly attacked several of our meetings, including Ahsanullah Master's public meeting, Suranjit Sengupta's public meeting. They used explosive and carried out a grenade attack on us.”

Hasan Mahmud said, "When we are in power, the government has always taken measures so that they (BNP) can hold their rallies smoothly. Despite the instigative speeches of BNP and party leaders, AL activists have been ordered to behave. But if they want to incite chaos in Dhaka city or anywhere, the people will resist them.”