BNP may have bad motive centring municipal polls: Hanif

Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of the ruling Awami League, today said it is not clear to the nation as to what is the intention of BNP to take part in the ensuing pourasabha (Municipal) polls.

"Remarks of some BNP leaders have created doubt in public mind...they might have any bad motive in taking part in the polls. It`s necessary to think whether they (BNP leaders) have been brewing up a new blue print (conspiracy) to make the elections (Municipal) controversial," he said.

Hanif said this while speaking at a press conference at the political office of Awami League (AL) president Sheikh Hasina at Dhanmondi in the city on Wednesday.

In reply to BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia`s recent remarks that Awami League created militancy, the AL joint general secretary said, "The people of the country have not forgotten as yet the emergence of militant kingpin `Bangla Bhai`, the series bomb attacks in 63 district headquarters simultaneously, the bomb blast at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (r) in Sylhet and the August 21 grenade attack perpetrated during the rule of Khaleda Zia. These were created at the behest of her government`s shelter and patronisation."

"On the contrary, she (Begum Zia) has been blaming Awami League for such misdeeds, which is nothing but chanting the name of God by a ghost. And such an allegation can`t be matched with falsehood of any sort. A member of her cabinet and the Ameer (Chief) of Jamaat-e-Islami Motiur Rahman Nizami then remarked that Bangla Bhai was the creation of media. But, it`s clear like daylight that Begum Khaleda Zia harboured and patronised personally in creation of militancy and terrorism," he added.

Turning to Khaleda Zia`s derogatory remarks against director general (DG) of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Hanif said, "With utter astonishment, I noticed direct verbal attack of the top leader of a political party against RAB DG mentioning his name. I fail to understand as to why she came up with such a kind of attacking words."

"You (Begum Khaleda Zia) stepped into a trap by creating RAB in 2004 with a specific purpose and that was to eliminate and kill Awami League leaders and workers. We told you then that you would have to step into that trap one day. That`s why you have now been coming up with derogatory remarks against RAB," the AL leader said.

Hanif said that Begum Khaleda Zia also came up with distasteful remarks against the patriotic armed forces as she failed to use the armed forces to serve her narrow individual purpose although the services personnel of the country earned fame in the United Nations peacekeeping missions abroad.

Awami League organising secretaries Ahmed Hossain and Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, MP, relief affairs secretary Faridunnahar Laily, health affairs secretary Dr Badiuzzaman Bhuiyan Dublew, office secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, deputy publicity secretary Asim Kumar Ukil and AL Central Working Committee members Sujit Roy Nandi and Aminul Islam Amin were present, among others.