Expelled BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday said he expects a fair trial for detained party chief Khaleda Zia.
His comment on the matter was the first from him since the arrest of the party chief, who had expelled him personally the day before her arrest on September 3 on charges of corruption.
"I don't want to comment on the case of Begum Zia as it is still on trial but I want her to get justice," Bhuiyan said while talking to reporters in his Gulshan residence in the capital.
Stressing on a social campaign for curbing corruption in the country, he said it is not possible to curb corruption 'only by repression and jailing people'.
Bhuiyan said he wants unity among the party leaders as well as implementation of his reform proposals since the election is approaching fast. "I want party reforms to make the party acceptable and strong, and to establish the rule of law in the country," he added.
When asked if he is taking any initiative to unite the party again, he said they are heading to that direction, albeit cautiously. Everything will be achieved after an appropriate environment is created, he said declining to elaborate.
"I want to maintain the unity of the party as the election is coming near, unity and reforms both are important for the party as we don't want to go back to the situation that existed in the country before 1/11," he said adding that he is ready to accept the decision of the party council regarding his reform proposals.
"We want to hold the council with everyone's involvement in it, we have to arrange it in a way so that everyone may participate in the process," said Bhuiyan, who claims to be working to bring democratic reforms to the party constitution.
When a reporter sought his reaction about many peoples thinking that if he and new Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain sit for a negotiation, all the problems will be solved, Bhuiyan said personal amity is not the issue, rather political differences have to be resolved.
"I respect him [Delwar] as an elder, but it is not correct to think that political unity will be achieved only by sitting together," he said hoping that a political unity will somehow be achieved between the feuding factions of the party.
Asked if the crisis in BNP was sparked by the interim government's ongoing anti-corruption drive and the countrywide party reform fever, and if all these are going to harm the democracy, he replied 'the society must be freed from corruption but not only by repression and jailing people'.
"We have to create a corruption free society to establish democracy and good governance in the country," he said adding that all should cooperate in that endeavour.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia expelled Bhuiyan and joint secretary general Ashraf Hossain from the party and appointed Khandaker Delwar Hossain as the new secretary general, the day before her arrest, but Bhuiyan dismissed the order by terming it a violation of the party constitution.
When asked about the price hike of essentials and probable lifting of the state of emergency, Bhuiyan said those are matters of the government and it will be responsible for its actions.