BNP started politics of killing: Matia

Awami League (AL) Presidium Member Begum Matia Chowdhury today said Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a leader like Ivy Rahman were killed due to the politics of killing introduced by BNP.

"...August is a painful month for us. This month, we have lost Father of Nation and a leader like Ivy Rahman as BNP started the politics of killing in the country," she said.

The veteran AL leader was addressing a commemorative meeting, organized by Begum Ivy Rahman death anniversary committee at Tafazzal Hossain Manik Mia auditorium of National Press Club here on the occasion of the 18th death anniversary of Awami League leader Ivy Rahman.

"We came to politics ignoring the fear of death," she said, adding that, Bangabandhu was killed in a brutal way and even Sheikh Hasina was repeatedly tried to kill, but the conspirators could not succeed.

On the day of the grenade attack on August 21, 2004, the attackers desperately wanted to kill Sheikh Hasina, she added.

The then government also gave instructions so that the injured would not get treatment, she continued.

Speaking on the occasion, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif said that the August 21 grenade attack was a well-planned attack.

Tarique Rahman, also known as Tarique Zia, held a meeting with the then BNP government's state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, Mufti Hannan (chief of Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh) and other militants at Hawa Bhavan, he added.

Mufti Hannan's brother Maulana Taizuddin had brought the grenades from Pakistan for the attack, he said, adding that it is not possible to bring bombs to the country without the instigation of (the then) government.