Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is teetering on the brink of collapse due to its continuous aversion to elections and following imposed decisions.

“Due to BNP’s continuous aversion to elections and following imposed decisions, it is going to become a gang of hooligans (lathiyal bahini) of an individual and today it is on the verge of ruination. If BNP boycotts the next elections, it will collapse,” he said.

Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary, said these while addressing a discussion of Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote marking the 93rd birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib at Jatiya Press Club here.

He said BNP is such a party which doesn’t allow its leaders and workers to even contest for member posts in union parishad elections and councilor posts in city corporation polls.

“I would like to ask BNP leaders and activists why they are doing politics of a party which doesn’t allow anyone to contest polls. What are the causes for which they will stay as the musclemen of Tarique Rahman,” he said.

The minister said now BNP’s policy is – none of the party can contest elections until Tarique Rahman can do so.

If BNP boycotts the next national elections, it will see that the party leaders and workers didn’t boycott it and they will lose everything for such decisions.

“So, I will urge BNP that if they walk on the path of democracy, it will be beneficial to them. I would like to ask senior leaders of BNP how long they will abide by imposed decisions,” he said.

The minister posed a note of warning to BNP over its mass-procession programme, saying if anyone of the party carries out attack on people and police and destroy public properties, they will be dealt with an iron hand.

Mentioning that BNP didn’t get any benefit by unleashing arson terrorism and blandishing foreigners, the AL joint general secretary said BNP has been flattering foreigners for the last several years but finally they saw that the foreigners didn’t extend any support towards their caretaker government issue.\

As BNP didn’t get anything, its leaders are now commenting in a different tone, he said.

Now BNP leaders are saying it doesn’t matter what the opinions of India, the USA and the UK are, he said.

BNP saw that US under-secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights Uzra Zeya and European Union officials, during their recent visits to Bangladesh, didn’t say anything about BNP’s demand, he said.

That is why BNP canceled its meeting with the election monitoring group comprising officials of different nations, including the US, the UK and Japan, he said.

He said BNP has become hopeless and realized blandishing foreigners won’t bring any result.

Noting that the country is of the people, not of anyone else, he urged BNP to go to people shunning their ill-politics of arson terrorism.

About the key-shadow role of Bangamata behind Sheikh Mujib’s turning to Bangabandhu, Hasan said Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib had unparallel contributions to the life and work of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the great lady gave encouragement and suggestions to Sheikh Mujib in his long struggle and movements to translate his dream into reality by making the nation independent.

Because of her great contributions, it was possible for Sheikh Mujib to become Bangabandhu and then Father of the Nation, he said.

Mentioning that Bangabandhu was interned in jail many times, he said whenever Bangabandhu stayed out of jail, Bangamata took care of her family and whenever Bangabandhu had to go in jail, she steered the Awami League as well as took care of his family.

He said Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s various write-ups and speeches revealed how Bangamata, who used to lead a very simple life, stayed beside her husband in different periods to take important decisions.

Ayub Khan was forced to release Bangabandhu amid the mass-upsurge and proposed Bangabandhu to be the prime minister of Pakistan, he said.

Bangabandhu himself rejected the proposal and told it to Bangamata over telephone from Rawalpindi, he said.

Bangamata also agreed on his decision and thanked him for rejecting the proposal, he said.

The minister said Bangabandhu didn’t have any greed for power and didn’t want to be prime minister rather he guided the nation towards independence and Bangamata along with her family always stayed beside him, he recalled.

When Bangabandhu was taken to the gallows, Bangamata stayed solid eyeing on the nation, he said.

Bangamata, her daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, new born baby Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Sheikh Russel had to face the captivity in the hands of Pakistani rulers during the nine-month Liberation War in 1971 and even on the day of victory on December 16.

Even after returning home on January 10, 1972 after the victory in the great Liberation War, Bangabandhu didn’t go to his family at first, rather he went to the masses at the Race Course ground, now Suhrawardy Udyan, he said.

Bangabandhu proved that people are foremost important to a genuine politician and then family and his family accepted it and stayed beside him, he added.

Awami League Organising Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, party’s National Committee Member Advocate Balaram Podder, Dhaka City South AL former General Secretary Shahe Alam Murad, Ekushey Padak recipient and Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra singer Manoranjan Ghoshal addressed the discussion, among others.

Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote Presidium Member Asrarul Hasan chaired the discussion which was moderated by its General Secretary Habibur Rahman.