Delwar accuses govt of bias towards AL

BNP Secretary General Khondoker Delwar Hossain yesterday alleged that the Caretaker Government was filing cases against the party leaders to make them ineligible for contesting the election and added that many such cases were being readied. Delwar's comment came a day after the Anticorruption Commission filed a case against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and five others on charges of embezzling funds of Tk2.1 crore from Zia Orphanage Trust from 1991 to '96.

At a press briefing held in his NAM flat on Manik Mia Avenue in the city BNP general secretary rejected the case terming it "false, baseless and ill motivated." Delwar accused the Caretaker Government of applying double-standard in dealing with the two major political parties, the BNP and Awami League (AL).

On the Government's recent dialogue with the AL, Delwar said: "The CEC treated AL like its close relative during the electoral dialogue, and the CA seemed to have treated AL delegates in a similar fashion. I'm not criticising any of these, but why should they treat us as if we're their sworn enemies?"

Calling the Government's "unfriendly attitude" towards the BNP a breach of mandate, the disgruntled BNP leader said: "The Government is losing its neutrality." Delwar said the Government was going beyond its mandate by holding the local government polls ahead of national elections.

The Caretaker Government wants to hold a stage-managed election only to create a rubber-stamp parliament, Delwar alleged.

Delwar reiterated that the four-party alliance was not participating in the local government polls. "We'll take steps against the traitors, who will submit nominations for the elections."

Delwar blamed the Government for forming a fresh medical board instead of sending Tarique abroad for better treatment.

Expressing his worries over the energy price hike and its impact on the domestic market, Delwar said, "The government should reverse its decision, or people's sufferings will be boundless."

BNP leaders Selima Rahman, Khairul Kabir Khokan, Prof Sohrab Uddin, Rizvi Ahmed, Kaysar Jamal, Mia Selim, Shirin Sultana, Khaleda's lawyers Barrister Nawshad Jamir and Simul Biswas, among others, were present.