BNP men face criminal cases, not political ones: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said cases filed against BNP leaders and workers are not political, rather those were filed on specific criminal charges that include arson terrorism, grenade attacks, firearms smuggling and corruption.

"The cases against them (BNP) are related to different crimes. They committed offenses. So, legal action is being taken against them," she said while speaking at a view exchange with central committee members of Bangladesh Krishak League on the occasion of its 52th founding anniversary at her official Ganabhaban residence on Friday morning.

She said the cases should be disposed of quickly to ensure punishment for those crimes.

"No cases filed against them are political ones. Rather, the cases were filed for committing different crimes. They committed crimes. So, legal action is being taken against them," she said.

Mentioning that they unleashed arson violence in 2013 and 2014 to foil the 2014 general election, she said during the mayhem, they burnt as many as 3,800 cars, buses, launches and trains.

About violence before the 12th parliamentary election, she said they committed the 28th October incident and killed a mother and her child by setting fire to trains to thwart the polls.

"Won't cases be filed against those who committed these things? Would people worship them?" she asked.

Turning down the claim that 60 lakh BNP leaders and workers are in jail, the Prime Minister said that all jails of the country do not have the capacity to accommodate so many people.

"They're claiming that their 60 lakh men are arrested, but we (jails) don't even have such capacity (to accommodate so many people)," she said.

The premier said if so many lakhs of BNP men are detained in jails, it means all who are now in jails are their men and there are no other criminal anymore. "It means all criminals there (in the jails) belong to BNP," she said.

Describing the horrific scenes of violence and torture on Awami League leaders and activists during the BNP regimes, the PM said her government didn't go to take revenge, rather utilized the merit and power in developing the country and working for its people.

"It is their good luck that we are in power. They still get scopes to raise voice as we are not revengeful like them. They talk all the day using the loud speaker and then they say they don't get the scope to speak," she said.

President of Bangladesh Krishak League Samir Chandra chaired the function.

Bangladesh Krishak League, an associate body of Bangladesh Awami League, was established on April 19, 1972.

NY