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Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has said Awami League (AL) has no public support as the ruling party has betrayed the countrymen several times.
"They (AL) have no public support because they've snatched away people's ownership and betrayed them several times," BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said while addressing a rally in front of the National Press Club in the capital on Monday.
He demanded release of detained party leaders, including Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel.
"Some beneficiaries, loan defaulters and market syndicates have now surrounded AL. They are mass enemy as they are involved in manipulating market price and siphoning off money abroad. So, the country's people are not with them (AL)," he said.
"Sheikh Hasina (PM) would not get public support if market price manipulators, loan defaulters and persons involved with capital flying stay with the government," he continued.
Regarding the upcoming upazila elections, Mr Rizvi said, "Sheikh Hasina is again going to hold a dummy election. Voters wouldn't go to vote centres."
"The ruling AL has imposed a restriction on participation of relatives of ministers and MPs in the upazila elections, but many of their relatives are contesting the polls."
The BNP leader also says that prices of essential commodities are soaring every day across the country.
Mr Rizvi alleged that people could not afford to get food three times in a day due to the soaring prices of essential commodities.
"Even, a newborn shoulders a loan burden of Tk 0.1 million. Besides this, she (PM) wants to take loans further," he maintained.
"Your AL is like a broken jar (kolshi). So, you are sounding much. Whatever you show or tell the people are false. You show developments of flyovers and Padma Bridge and then why do you want to seek trillions of taka loans for the upcoming budget? Why you are increasing power, water and gas bills?" he said.
Rizvi also says AL general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader seems tired of his continuous thinking (comments) about BNP.
Refuting Mr Quader's comments that BNP has become weak and tired and its leaders started leaving the country, Mr Rizvi said that not BNP but AL itself has broken and cracked inside to hide that Mr Quader was commenting much on BNP.
Former general secretary of Dhaka South Swechchasebak Dal Md Nazrul Islam Noman presided over the function.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will hold a rally on May 10 (Friday) in front of the party's central office at Naya Paltan in the capital.
Dhaka South BNP will organise the event for immediate release of detained party chairperson Begum Khaled Zia and other leaders and withdrawal of cases filed against part's acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, according to party sources.