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Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said on Monday that the high-ups of the ruling Awami League (AL) were seeking mental relief through jugglery after deceiving the people.
"They (ruling AL) directly deceived the people through holding a one-sided national election (on January 7, 2024)," he said at a press briefing at the party's Nayapaltan central office in the capital.
Mr Rizvi alleged that the government plundered huge state and public wealth and destroyed the country's democracy.
He claimed that people could not enjoy Eid-ul-Fitr this time due to exorbitant prices of essential commodities.
Mr Rizvi said that the people who became wealthy during the present Awami League regime are those who indulge in tender manipulation and market syndication with support from the government.
"Many of the ruling Awami League leaders said that the number of wealthy people has increased during the present government. Now question is who are these wealthy people?," he continued.
Mr Rizvi expressed concern over the arrests of assistant youth affairs secretary of the national executive committee of the party and former vice-president of Dhaka College Students Union (Sangshad) Mir Newaz Ali Newaz, former ward commissioner Anwar Parvez Badal and party leader Sayeed Hossain Sohel.
He said that the trio were denied bail and sent to jail.
Meanwhile, on Sunday Mr Rizvi termed the statement made by General Secretary of the AL and also Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader against BNP on Pahela Baishakh as ill-motivated.
"What culture do you (Mr Quader) believe in? BNP arranged numbers of iftar parties. BNP took iftar with poor and destitute people but did not hold party bringing artists from India. You did party. Didn't you expend for that (party) purpose?," he asked.
"Obaidul Quader said that BNP doesn't tolerate Bengali culture. Actually he (Mr Quader) wants to appease his master secretly and his statement is ill motivated," Mr Rizvi said at a function to celebrate Bengali New Year organised by Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha ( JASAS) at the party's Nayapaltan central office in the city.