Tarique says Jamaat’s silence in power exposes hollowness of its corruption claims

If the four-party alliance government was corrupt, then why did Jamaat-e-Islami’s two top leaders never resign at the time? Tarique Rahman has raised the question, challenging Jamaat’s present-day criticism of the BNP.

On Tuesday, he referred to a particular political party, pointing towards Jamaat, saying it is acting in “exactly the same way the 'autocrat' used to speak".

 “You must have seen in the newspapers that right now a political party is using the language of the autocrat who has fled, attacking the BNP… it too is now claiming that the BNP was the champion of corruption.”

 “So my question is, from 2001 to 2006 didn’t they also have two members in the BNP government? They did. So if the BNP was really that bad, why didn’t those two individuals resign and walk away?”

Tarique was addressing an election rally on Tuesday afternoon at the Mymensingh Circuit House ground.

Referring to Jamaat leaders, he said: “Why didn’t they resign? They did not resign because they were in government and they knew very well that Khaleda Zia was cracking down on corruption with a firm hand.

 “And the party that is now making these allegations -- its two members were part of the BNP government and they knew perfectly well that Khaleda Zia did not tolerate corruption.”

During the 2001–2006 term, the Jamaat-e-Islami’s then chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid served as ministers in the BNP-led four-party alliance government.

Nizami was first appointed agriculture minister and later given charge of the industries ministry. Mujahid served as social welfare minister.

During the tenure of the previous Awami League government, Nizami and Mujahid were executed following verdicts of the International Crimes Tribunal over war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

Tarique added, “All kinds of international statistics show that during Khaleda Zia’s time the country was at a low level of corruption.

 “And when Khaleda Zia took charge in 2001, Bangladesh slowly began to come out of the vicious grip of corruption.

 “And the fact that the two members of the party now making these accusations stayed in the government from the very first day to the last proves just how big a lie they are telling about their own people.”