Govt fails to fulfil poll pledges

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said the government could not implement any of its election pledges in nine months of rule and people would have no choice but to start agitation if it fails to change the situation.
"People passed days during Ramadan in miseries because of the price hike of essentials and deterioration in law and order. They are celebrating the Eid amid sorrows and miseries," the leader of the opposition told reporters at an Eid reception on Monday.
She hosted the party at the Ladies Club at Eskaton on Monday afternoon to exchange Eid greetings with ambassadors, high commissioners and charge d' affaires of different countries and representatives of different UN and donor agencies.
Leaders and workers of BNP and its front organisations as well as other political parties attended the reception. Senior leaders including BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain were present at the event.
Later, Khaleda along with party leaders and workers went to the grave of late president Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city and offered fateha.
Meanwhile, party leaders alleged that the government barred a few distinguished guests from visiting Khaleda at her cantonment residence, which they described as the government's narrow-mindedness and undemocratic character.
They said the distinguished personalities wanted to meet the BNP chairperson Monday evening on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr but they were not allowed to visit her Shaheed Mainul Road residence in Dhaka Cantonment.
Former cabinet secretary and party leader Abdul Halim, former secretary M Mohsin, former home secretary Zahurul Islam, former law secretary Alauddin Sardar, former FBCCI president Abdul Awal Mintoo were among those guests, BNP sources said.
Protesting the incident, Khandaker Delwar in a statement said the government showed its "narrow-minded attitudes" in barring the visitors from entering the opposition leader's residence on Eid day.
"Visiting people and exchanging greetings on Eid day is an inseparable part of the Eid culture and tradition. Preventing people from visiting a former prime minister on this auspicious day was extremely deplorable," he said.
Leaders of BNP's associate bodies including Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal also protested the incident, saying such a stand of the government impedes the flourishing of democracy.