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Khaleda tags AL as al-Qaeda, Taliban, terrorist

Staff Correspondent
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday launched a scathing attack on the main opposition Awami League (AL) in parliament, labelling it as 'al-Qaeda, Taliban, ter-
rorist and killer'.
She also said the AL is out to create chaos and indiscipline and mislead the world about Bangladesh.
"She (AL President Sheikh
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Hasina) is making statements abroad against the country. She wants to create chaos and indiscipline in the country by spreading rumours about al-Qaeda and Taliban presence in Bangladesh. In fact, they (AL) are the al-Qaeda, they are the Taliban, terrorists and killers. We need to beware of them." Khaleda said.
Khaleda, also leader of the house, was speaking in the budget discussion.
Referring to the recent ammunition and explosives haul in Bogra, Khaleda indicated that the opposition was involved in it and there was no scope to create misgivings among people in this regard.
She asked the AL to help the government recover 'the rest of the arms and ammunition'.
The prime minister warned the opposition activists against arrests with arms and said no more mercy would be shown to them.
She also asked the AL not to threaten the government with ouster from power through a snap poll by December this year. "Instead of engaging in destructive activities by importing arms and ammunition, you (AL) should better return to par-
liament and serve the people," she said.
Blasting the main opposition party for calling hartal, Khaleda said nothing happened in the country to justify hartal. " They (AL) have been engaged in destructive politics all along and never in politics of public welfare. That is why people rejected them in the last parliamentary polls."
Without directly referring to female activists of the AL, who are very active in enforcing hartal and participate in processions, the prime minister said, "After doing all sorts of misdeed, their (AL) leaders and workers are now afraid of coming out on the streets and that is why they gather some women from different places. And what are these women doing? (They are) Damaging vehicles and throwing brickbats."
Turning to the new budget, the prime minister said its main thrust is on alleviating poverty and that multidimensional steps have been taken to achieve this goal
The leader of the house defended the budget against criticisms by the opposition and various other quarters. In no way was it an anti-poor budget, rather, it envisaged many social
welfare programmes which would directly benefit the poor, she observed.
"In the new budget, no fresh tax has been imposed on the poor, instead they have been given tax exemption. Initiatives have been taken to augment revenue earning by bringing solvent people under tax net," she observed.
The budget is so well tailored that the opposition has had nothing to say against it and that is why it is not in the House, she said.
Earlier, taking part in the budget discussion, Local Government and Rural Development and Cooperatives MinisterAbdul Mannan Bhuiyan said the AL is trying to make the parliament ineffective and calling hartal one after another to create chaos.
"They have to come out of the hartal mania," he said.
Bhuiyan, also BNP secretary general, advised the main opposition party to stop thinking of a snap poll and return to the House giving up street agitation.
On the budget, Bhuiyan said it is aimed at self-reliance and poverty eradication.