BNP needs to answer from where they paid lakhs of dollars to US lobbyists: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today told the parliament that BNP will have to answer from where they paid lakhs of dollars to the lobbyist firms in the US which was appointed to destroy Bangladesh and mislead the people with false accusations and false information.

The prime minister said this while participating in the thanksgiving motion on the president's speech which was also in her valedictory speech in the new year session of parliament.

Pointing to the passage of the Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Bill, she said accepting 22 different amendments on the law brought by the opposition parties means that the proposed law was initiated by the BNP and all opposition parties in parliament.

"They said today that they don't know about the Bill. But most of the amendments brought by all the opposition parties including JP, BNP, Workers Party, JSD and Gonoforum were accepted. Therefore, it seems, it is the proposed law of the opposition," she added.

The PM also said they prepared the Bill a long time ago in 2017 when the president invited all political parties for holding dialogue with political parties on formation of the EC.

About the much talked about issue of appointing lobbyists by the BNP, she said today money is being spent behind lobbyists ahead of the election. "We want to materialise the account of every penny of this money. They will have to give the account of every penny."

The PM in her hour-long speech said, "They paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a foreign firm -- how did this money go abroad? They have to answer where it came from."

She said the lobbyists were hired to prevent the trial of war criminals, thwart elections, make elections questionable, protect militants and killers of the Father of the Nation, tarnish the image of Bangladesh, and prevent the progress of Bangladesh, not for good purposes.

About hiring of PR firms by the government, Hasina, also leader of the House, said PR firms are hired for enhancement of the country's investment, export and production, as well as protection of the rights of the country and its workers.

"But what was their (BNP's) purpose? The purpose was to destroy Bangladesh and mislead the people giving false propaganda and untrue words," said the PM.

The 16th session of the 11th parliament, started on January 16, was prorogued today only after five sittings.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury read out the prorogation order of the President.