Khaleda looking to illegal way to grab state power: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was expecting unconstitutional forces to help her grab the state power.

"She has been looking to Uttar Para in the hope that someone will come from there to take her to power," she said, addressing a discussion at the auditorium of Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh.

The ruling Awami League organised the programme marking the Amar Ekushey and International Mother Language Day with Hasina in the chair.

Warning about the consequences of resorting to unconstitutional means, she said, "Ziaur Rahman and Ershad understood it. And Fakhruddin and Moeen Uddin in 2007 also saw the consequences as they no longer could live in the country."

"So everybody knows the result. I don't believe anyone will dare step into the fire.

"So who would give her [Khaleda] such assurances?"

The PM said Khaleda had one assurance that "foreign lords" would help her assume power. But the hope has been shattered for forging six US congressmen's letter and making false claim of a telephone conversation with Indian BJP chief.

Khaleda had been awaiting US help, Hasina said. But the US Secretary of the State John Kerry rather called for immediate end to violence unleashed by BNP-Jamaat alliance, she added. 

Hasina said the nation did not get any cooperation for the 1971 Liberation War from those foreign lords Khaleda Zia was relying on.

The PM also alleged that a foreign quarter tried to oust her by raising corruption allegation over the Padma bridge project.

Earlier in the morning while visiting the law ministry, the PM said the BNP-Jamaat alliance is now planning to make grenade attacks on innocent people as their petrol bombs have failed to yield anything.

Later at the discussion, the PM also castigated the civil society members, including those 13 "concerned citizens" who recently formed a committee to push for a national dialogue. She alleged they too were waiting to get benefit from an unconstitutional changeover of power.

The civil society members might have forgotten that if anyone grabs the state power unconstitutionally would get capital punishment as the constitution was amended to this end, she added.

Hasina said someone of the 13-member committee lobbied her for cabinet secretary post of the 1996-2001 AL government. "Now they are giving us advices. If anything [unconstitutional] is happened they too would get a fruit."

She also lambasted Dr Kamal Hossain and Mahmudur Rahman Manna for not requesting Khaleda to stop burning people alive and withdraw hartal-blockade ahead of the SSC exams.