Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said BNP has taken side of Israel by keeping mum on the Palestine issue.
"BNP leaders including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir are remained silent on Palestine issue when the innocent Palestinians and children are being killed like birds. You should know them," he said.
The minister made the remarks while addressing a meeting organised by Awami League Sripur-Kharandiwp union unit of Boalkhali upazila and Union Parishad at the UP auditorium in nChattogram.
Dr Hasan said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has protested the killings. "I also have protested the killings of innocent people as a joint general secretary of Awami League and the information minister. On the other hand, BNP is remained silent. They are silent as a large group might be unhappy which means they are in favour of Israel," he added.
Hasan said the reporters have asked Mirza Fakhrul about the Palestine-Israel issue. He (Fakhrul) replied that they have no time to talk on this issue as they have many other problems, he said.
About the politics, Dr Hasan said BNP has claimed that the final game will be held in October and the party also demanded that Khaleda Zia should be released within 48 hours. But it was not happened, he added.
They lost in the semi-finals, he said, adding they can play with Jubo League, if they want. Awami League would not play with them, said Hasan Mahmud.
The minister said the incumbent government has taken different steps for the development of root level people. About 2,000 to 3,000 people of every union are getting different allocations from the government, he added.
The information minister said the Awami League government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had started the allocations when it came in power in 1996. Those allocations will be stopped if BNP comes in power again, said Dr Hasan.
Boalkhali upazila chairman Rezaul Karim Raza, AL upazila unit president Nurul Amin Chowdhuru AL Sripur-Kharandiwp unit president Ratan Chowdhury AL upazila unit former vice president Nurul Huda and education affairs secretary Sekandar Alam Babor, among others, addressed the meeting with UP chairman Mokarram Hossain in the chair.