BNP makes strange allegation over placing wreath at Shaheed Minar: Hasan Mahmud

Staff Correspondent: Dhaka, Feb-23,

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said BNP made a strange allegation over offering flowers at Shaheed Minar along with anti-liberation forces and the persons who were against the language.

“It is a false allegation. We let the BNP procession pass by our rally last year and we placed wreaths after them. It took over three and a half hours. And this year, we stood in silence for 30 seconds after placing tributes and then left. BNP started late when the Shaheed Minar was crowded. Who stopped them and where?” he said.
The minister said this while replying to a query from reporters at the meeting room of his ministry at Secretariat in the capital.

In fact, Hasan said, BNP doesn’t contain the spirit of Amar Ekushey or the Liberation War. They talk about 21st February and with the spirit of the Liberation War but they do politics with the anti-liberation forces who tried to do so-called Islamization of the language by introducing Bengali writing in Arabic alphabet and banned Rabindranath’s songs in East Bengal,” he said.
Replying to another query over Begum Khaleda Zia, the minister said if any person is convicted for more than two years, he or she cannot be eligible to compete in the election as per the law of the country. Khaldea Zia was sentenced for more than two years. So, there is no question of her participation in the election, said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.
Besides, he said, the government has given her conditional permission to stay home considering her health and age. As per the condition, she couldn’t do politics, he added.
Earlier, the minister unwrapped five books at the meeting room.
The books are ‘Bangabandhur Jiban and Shilpa Bhabna’ written by Sowmithra Dev, ‘Sheikh Hasina ekti Kaljoyee Upakkhyan’ and ‘Sheikh Rehana ek Dipto Shikha’ written by Shamima Sultana, Swapno Loker Nadi and ‘HIV-Aids Risk and ‘Gender Relation: Women Sex Worker in Bangladesh’ written by deputy secretary of the information ministry Dr Sheikh Muslima Moon.
Congratulating the writers, Hasan said it is really a hard work to write a book and book writing is possible only if one has the patience and the will to write.
“I also think that we need to pay some attention to the quality control of the books,” he said.

End/Dnm/Raj/Mos/