Enacting law on hartal autocratic move: BNP
Enacting a law on hartal is nothing but the government's autocratic move, said BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday.
“A law cannot stop hartal as it is the democratic right of people,” he said while talking to reporters at party founder late president Ziaur Rahman's grave in the city.
Delwar went there to place wreaths and offer fateha at the Zia's grave on the occasion of the release of Jatiyatabadi Motshajibi Dal President Rafiqul Islam Mahtab arrested during the June 27 hartal.
The BNP leader mentioned that everyone speaks against hartal while in power and stands in favor of hartal being in the opposition but a law cannot keep people from exercising their rights.
“It was Awami League who had called hartal 130 days in 2001-06 and 173 days in 1991-96 during the BNP-led government. Even they promised not to enforce any hartal when they were in power but did not keep the commitment when in opposition,” he added.
He also denied the allegation recently raised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that BNP called hartal to avert the trial of war crimes, saying that BNP is in favour of the trial but the government seeks to gain political advantage in the name of trying war criminals.
Members of Awami League must be tried first for war crimes if the government really wants to try war criminals, he said.
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