Release Khaleda Zia if you dare to, Fakhrul tells govt

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said the government is "terribly afraid" of Khaleda Zia as she established a pro-people government twice, capturing the people's mandate with her long struggle for democracy.

"If you dare to, release her from jail. If she comes out of jail and waves to people from inside her car, the people of the country will inevitably come out of their homes to vote for her," Fakhrul said while addressing a protest rally in the capital city.

The programme was arranged in front of the National Press Club, protesting the arrest of Dhaka South City BNP Member Secretary Rafiqul Alam Majnu, and demanding his immediate release.

Criticising rising commodity prices, Mirza Fakhrul said the incumbent government has come to power by cheating people. You (people) can remember that the Awami League president went to the people saying, "If I have made any mistake in the past, forgive me. Vote for us once."

"She (Sheikh Hasina) also promised people 10kg of rice per family, provide fertiliser free of cost, and ensure jobs for every family. Then people voted for the party. Now, they have not kept any of their promises. Rice is now Tk70 a kg, and fertilizer prices are astronomically higher," Fakhrul alleged.

At present, no one can get a job without being an Awami League follower. "This government is a total fraud and it is an anti-people government," he added.

Fakhrul condemned the arrest of BNP leader Majnu and demanded his release.

BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas, BNP chairperson's Adviser Abdul Salam, Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir, Dhaka North BNP Member Secretary Aminul Haque, Assistant Organising Secretary Abdus Salam Azad, Secretary Mir Sarfat Ali Sapu, Juba Dal President Saiful Islam Nirab and General Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Swachchasebak Dal General Secretary Abdul Quader Bhuiyan Jewel, and others, spoke at the rally.