BNP's Moyeen accuses govt of falsely claiming US support
"The government is now in such a state of mind that they feel insecure. That's why they're inventing different stories and saying they are in the good books of the American government. It's not a matter of coming to good books here," he said
BNP senior leader Abdul Moyeen Khan on Friday alleged that the current government is spreading false stories by claiming that it has made into the good books of the United States.
"The government is now in such a state of mind that they feel insecure. That's why they're inventing different stories and saying they are in the good books of the American government. It's not a matter of coming to good books here," he said.
Talking to reporters after visiting the family members of jailed BNP leader Abdul Quader Bhuiyan Jewel in the capital's Malibagh area, the BNP leader said US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, while leaving Dhaka two days back, clearly stated their position on Bangladesh, saying the country must restore democracy.
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He said America has not moved back even a bit from its position on restoring democracy in Bangladesh. "The American government has once again said that their position regarding the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh is unwavering."
Moyeen, a BNP standing committee member and former minister, said the USA, western countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, European Union, and even the United Nations, have said one thing: democracy is dead in Bangladesh. Amid such circumstances, he said the government tried to create a story that the US is going to lift the sanctions on the RAB of Bangladesh and the visa sanctions on the country.
The BNP leader questioned what the government gained from such a cooked-up story when Vedant Patel, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the US Department of State, said, "Those claims are false. The US is not withdrawing sanctions against the RAB."
Moyeen said the government is trying to demonstrate that the US supports it since the regime has been suffering from a lack of confidence and a sense of insecurity. That's why they buy stories that America is supporting them. He said the US government is maintaining ties and trade with Bangladesh, but it has no relation with America's basic and moral position on democracy.
"America has not recognised that the government of Bangladesh is ruling the country ethically. They have made it clear the [12th parliamentary] election was not fair, neutral, and acceptable."
He slammed the government for continuously repressing, harassing, arresting, and jailing opposition party leaders and workers and implicating them in false cases. "The government has created such a situation by resorting to persecution that there is no iota of democracy in Bangladesh. There is now one-party rule. The MPs of the parliament have been made through a farce, fake, and dramatic election. They have not been elected through the people's votes."
He said, "BNP does not do politics to come to power. We are doing politics to get back the voting rights of the people of Bangladesh, to get back the basic rights of the people. Today, women have no rights in this country; children have no rights in this country."
The BNP leader also said there are no human rights in the country while people are being insulted at every step. "Look at the country's economy. People are being made destitute. The gap between the rich and the poor is skyrocketing. Those who are getting the blessings of the government are becoming rich. They are indulging in looting and siphoning off money abroad, destroying the country's economy."
