Govt covering up graft allegations with new issues: Rizvi

The government is trying to cover up its corruption by creating new issues, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged today (10 July).

"The dummy government is trying to distract the entire nation with issues in a planned way. That's why they're playing out different incidents at different times to hide their misdeeds and corruption," he said.

Speaking at a milad and doa mahfil, the BNP leader also alleged that the government is ignoring the allegations of corruption by former government officials, including ex-IGP Benazir Ahmed and former Army chief Aziz Ahmed.

He questioned why the government's intelligence agencies cannot detect the corrupt elements and take actions against them.

"What do government agencies actually do? Don't they see these things (the graft)? Are they assigned only to arrest BNP activists?" Rizvi said.

Jatiyatabadi Matshyajibi Dal arranged the programme at a madrasa in the city's Rapmura area, seeking blessings for the recovery of ailing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia who is undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital.

Pointing at the issue of the arrest of ex-PSC driver Abed Ali on charges of leaking question papers of BCS and other examinations under the Public Service Commission, Rizvi wondered how the scammers leaked the questions dodging the eyes of the intelligence agencies.

"Were members of the intelligence agencies of the government sleeping? What do they do when question papers of the medical exams are leaked? Do they sleep during the day? If not, how can there be so much irregularities and corruption?" he said.

The BNP leader strongly opposed the move to set up India's rail track over the land of Bangladesh, saying it will weaken the country's sovereignty.

"They (govt) are going to allow India to take its railway lines over the heart of Bangladesh. But when Bangladeshi citizens are killed along the border, they do not protest and they remain silent," he observed.

Rizvi said India wants to use the land of Bangladesh to deal with its internal political crisis.

He feared that this attempt would throw Bangladesh into a permanent international conspiracy.

Criticising the government for not allowing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for advanced treatment, Rizvi said Awami League wants to "kill Khaleda" without treatment.

He called upon the BNP leaders and workers to get ready for waging a fierce movement, braving all obstacles and oppression to have Khaleda freed without any conditions and to protect the country and its independence and sovereignty.