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Blame it on opposition

AL leaders react to public sufferings

Staff Correspondent
Ruling party high-ups and members of the government blamed BNP for the public suffering owing to the suspension of road and waterways communication centring on the opposition's grand rally in the capital yesterday.
The government did not disrupt communication or gave orders to close city hotels, they said. Transport owners themselves kept their vehicles off the streets and hotel owners closed their hotels, fearing attacks by the opposition.
However, many transport leaders and hoteliers told The Daily Star that law enforcers and ruling party leaders had commanded them not to operate their vehicles and keep their hotels open.
"It is the opposition party who is responsible for today's [yesterday] public suffering," said State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku while talking to reporters at his secretariat office.
He said people had lost confidence in the BNP as it had on many occasions created anarchy in the name of political programmes by torching vehicles, killing people and damaging public property.
So, the government this
time beefed up security measures to protect its citizens, he added.
He also suggested that the main opposition should not hold such a huge political programme in the capital as the densely populated city does not have enough space forthat.
Meanwhile, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub U Alam Hanif said the ruling party was cooperating with the opposition in holding its programme.
"We said repeatedly that our support and cooperation will be there for a peaceful programme," he said at a meeting at the party office in the city's Bangabandhu Avenue yesterday.
City AL General Secretary Mofazzol Hossain Chowdhury Maya, who was also present in the meeting, said programmes by the BNP lead to anarchy through killing people, torching vehicles and looting business establishments.
That was why leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League were alert so that BNP could not create any untoward situation, he added.
Hanif said his party activists helped law enforcers contain any sort of anarchy.
Earlier on Sunday, Home Minister Shahara Khatun at her secretariat office said the government had neither ordered law enforcers to prevent city hoteliers from receiving guests nor had it asked transport owners to withdraw their vehicles.
"Police were simply checking hotels and restaurants as part of their regular duties,” she added.
Arms recovery:
State Minister TUku, meanwhile, told reporters that the government had tightened security in the capital as several opposition activists, who were heading to the March 12 grand rally, were caught with arms in different parts of the country.
He, however, did not give details of the arrests.