Won't be part of unity bid if Jamaat's there

Kader Siddique's Krishak Sramik Janata League last night told BNP chief  Khaleda Zia that it would not be part of the national unity the BNP is trying to forge if Jamaat stays in it.

"We told Khaleda Zia that Jamaat should be left out of the unity as it committed war crimes in 1971. The Janata League will not join Jamaat in any platform," a leader of the party told The Daily Star after a meeting with the BNP chief.

The two-hour meeting, organised to discuss ways to start the process of forging a national unity, started at 8:00pm at Khaleda's Gulshan residence. Party President Abdul Kader Siddique along with his wife Nasrin Siddique and General Secretary Habibur Rahman attended the meeting.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Kader Siddique said, "I will not do any politics with Jamaat. I want to die doing Bangabandhu's politics."

He said he would hold a press briefing today at 11:30am at the party's Motijheel office to inform the media what was discussed in the meeting.

Kader Siddique said he had a long discussion with the BNP chief and that he was pleased with her even though they disagreed over several points. He also said he had a separate meeting with Khaleda.

"There is not that much difference between us when it comes to national interest," he said.

He said he would protest any conspiracy against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as well as against Khaleda Zia.

Meeting sources said Kader Siddique suggested the BNP avoid celebrating Khaleda Zia's birthday on August 15 as Bangabandhu and his family members were killed on that day.

After the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told newsmen that the BNP chief invited Kader Siddique to seek his advice on how to pull the country out from the current situation and how to unite the whole nation.

A day after the gruesome militant attack on a Gulshan café, Khaleda at a press conference called upon all to form a national unity to rid the country of militancy.

The ruling Awami League, however, rejected the call, saying the BNP would have to sever its ties with Jamaat-e-Islami.