Khaleda Resign or face more strike

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has said there will not be any more general strikes if the government steps down and holds the next general elections under a non-party government.

“Shutdowns are going on, and there will be more of them. The country has stopped in its tracks. I will tell the government, there’s still time, resign and call elections under a non-party government if you want peace in the country,” she told a rally in Satkhira on Thursday afternoon.

“There won’t be any more strikes. You can form the government again by winning the election if the people choose you,” the BNP Chairperson continued.

“The government is killing [people] across the county. Now they have targeted me. I am not scared.”

Khaleda said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be tried for killings.

“She has spoken about 10 dead bodies against one dead body. She has ordered killing using gunpowder. Fifty-seven army officers were killed in Peelkhana on her orders,” she added.

The opposition chief also said the Awami League-led coalition government will be tried one day for all the corruption and financial embezzlement including those involving the share market, Hall-Mark Group, Destiny-2000 Ltd, quick rental power plant and Padma bridge project.

She was addressing a BNP rally at the Kolaroa High School ground in Satkhira. She visited Satkhira, Kolaroa and Monirampur on Thursday and immediately met the families of the four victims who died in police action on Mar 2. She provided monetary help to the bereaved.

This is the first time Khaleda Zia went to Satkhira after the ninth parliamentary elections in 2008.

She spoke about different issues including the government’s ‘failure, corruption, submissive foreign policy’, political situation, crisis, next general elections and Hifazat’s long march during her 35-minute speech.

Khaleda alleged, “This government has no shame. This government wants to establish BAKSAL again. They will ban Jamaat-e-Islami. The government will annihilate BNP.”

The Awami League wants to grab power by holding a partisan election, she claimed.

The former Prime Minister also mentioned the Awami League’s movement taking Jamaat on its side against her government in 1996.

“Jamaat was very good when the Awami League had demonstrated along with them for the non-party caretaker government. And now they [Jamaat] are war criminals. This is the real face of the Awami League. They are worse than snake.”

After addressing the rally, the opposition chief started for Dhaka.