Mirza Fakhrul: No Eid joy among commoners

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said there is no Eid joy among the commoners because of the soaring prices of essentials.

"We always hope that all the people of the country will celebrate Eid with joy. Unfortunately, the way the prices of commodities have gone up and the economic situation of the country is getting worse day by day with the growing unemployment rate, it is not possible for the commoners to celebrate this Eid-ul-Fitr with joy. There is no joy among them," he said.

The BNP secretary general made the remarks while talking to reporters after offering fateha at the grave of party founder Ziaur Rahman, reports UNB.

Fakhrul said they prayed to the Almighty Allah to save people from the current situation. "We also prayed for the establishment of democracy in the county and an end to autocracy."

He said it is their party's tradition to offer fateha at Ziaur Rahman's grave and pay homage to him on the days of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. "This time we have come here with a very heavy heart as our party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has remained under house arrest and our acting chairman Tarique Rahman in exile abroad after being convicted in false cases."

Fakhrul accused the government of resorting to repressive acts to subdue BNP leaders and activists. " About 35 lakh of leaders and activists have been implicated in false cases and more than 600 others have been subjected to enforced disappearance. This extreme fascist regime has snatched people's democratic rights completely. People are also being deprived of their basic human rights."

Bar on Khaleda's treatment abroad 'political'

The BNP leader said Awami League lawmaker Haji Mohammad Salim, who was convicted in a graft case, went to Bangkok, but the government has long been not allowing Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment only due to political reasons.

He said the overseas travel of convicted Haji Selim has exposed that Khaleda was jailed in "false" cases for purely political reasons.

Referring to the US's recent Human Rights Report, the BNP leader said it was mentioned that Khaleda was convicted in political cases out of political "vengeance."

He alleged that the government wants to perpetuate its power by unjustly keeping Khaleda in jail and repressing BNP leaders and activists.

Earlier, Fakhrul along with party senior leaders, including standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Nazrul Islam Khan placed a wreath at Ziaur Rahman's grave and offered fateha there.