Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said, 'BNP has not left the path of arson and anarchy, they have shown that in Chattogram. Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain says they want to have a peaceful movement. On the other hand, examples of their peaceful movement in Chittagong are attacks on the police, vandalism of cars and houses and arson.
The Minister said this in response to questions from journalists after the chief guest's speech at the unveiling ceremony of 'Abdul Ghaffar Chowdhury Memorial Book' edited by Monayem Sarkar at the Information Directorate conference room at the Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon. More than 100 book authors, eminent politicians and Bangladesh Foundation for Development Research Director General Monayem Sarkar presided over by UK Awami League President Bir Muktijodha Sultan Sharif, Chief Information Officer Shahenur Mia, Bangla TV Chairman Abdus Samad, Osman Gani, the owner of the next publication, co-editors of the book Dr Dinak Sohani and Apurva Sharma attended the event as a special guest.
Dr. Hasan said, 'We have been repeatedly saying that BNP is holding meetings to create unrest in the country. As they have started arson again in the name of that rally, attacking the police and because of that public life security is being disturbed, so they have to be more careful in future rallies. When they talk about the rally, we have to think about what to do and decide.
Pointing out that 'BNP's politics is not people-oriented, it is foreign-oriented', he said, 'They have adopted this policy of running to foreign diplomats in the dark of night and harassing them. However, they realized that all this was of no use when the US Assistant Secretary of State visited Bangladesh recently and said that the quality of work of the security forces in Bangladesh has improved and the United States wants to support and train our security forces. It made their head hurt. As a result, now they have started bickering.
Denying the allegation of repression against BNP, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said, 'The government is not repressing BNP. I will tell BNP to look back to see what they did when they were in power. They killed dozens of people in the name of Operation Cleanheart in 2002, looted and sealed the office of Awami League's research institute CRI.'
Dr Hasan said, "BNP attacked our gatherings with grenades and bombs and killed many people, put barbed wire fence in front of our party office, beat many leaders and workers including senior politicians Matia Chowdhury, Mohammad Nasim in Russell Square. But none of their offices were closed by the government, none of their gatherings were attacked, Fakhrul-Abbas-Musharraf were not even scratched.
Earlier, Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud thanked the editor Monayem Sarkar for preparing the 'Abdul Ghaffar Chowdhury Memorial Book'. At this time, the minister paid tribute to the late Abdul Ghaffar Chowdhury and said, "Today, February 21 has been anointed as the International Mother Language Day by the United Nations under the leadership of People's Leader Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The initiative taken by our two expatriates, Salam and Rafiq, was sent to the United Nations by Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina as soon as possible on behalf of the state.
The Broadcasting Minister said that Abdul Ghaffar Chowdhury has not limited his creative activities only to composing songs. He worked as an organizer of our liberation war. Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury took up the pen when the country was being regressed by losing the spirit of freedom from the independence movement to the freedom struggle and later after the assassination of Bangabandhu.
"Whoever is in power, whenever he saw any inconsistency, Abdul Ghaffar Chowdhury took up the pen, even advised our government, criticized us if necessary," said Dr. Hasan. He said, "A pen warrior should be like that. He was such a man. I pay my respects and honors to Monaem Sarkar for editing this book a year after his death. Thank you to those who were on the editorial board of the book. Sultan Sharif Bhai is 83 years old. Thank him for coming here. Monaem Sarker looks young but is 80 years old.
The 416-page 'Abdul Ghaffar Chowdhury Memorial Book' published by the upcoming publication with the support of Bangladesh Foundation for Development Research contains about 80 articles, interviews, poems and stories of Ghaffar Chowdhury.
