A large number of helpless leaders and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party are bearing the brunt of coronavirus crisis while their top brass appear to be shying away from them.

Talking to daily sun, some leaders and activists in the capital and also from districts complained that most of their senior and comparatively rich leaders are distancing themselves from them.

Asked about it, BNP senior joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said: “As much as possible, we are looking after our party men during this pandemic.”

But the grassroots leaders and activists ran counter to what Rizvi said. They alleged that the party top leaders didn’t even enquire about their condition, nor did they stand beside those already infected with the virus and many even died.

“So far, over five hundred leaders and activists of BNP have been infected with the coronavirus and seventy six of them died,” BNP assistant office secretary Taiful Islam Tipu told daily sun on Friday.

BNP sources said a large number of party men are passing a miserable life during this pandemic.

“No leader of the party even enquired our condition let alone standing by the helpless activists during this coronavirus crisis,” Faruque Hossain, a BNP activist of R-Ataikula Union unit of Pabna, told daily sun.

He further lamented that Mofazzal Hossain Montu, joint convener of the union unit BNP, has been suffering from illness for a long time but no leader of the party enquired his condition yet.

Talking to daily sun, an activist of the party in Dhaka north city area also said they didn’t get any help from the party while a few only have got some food items but that is not enough.

BNP insiders said a large number of the party grassroots leaders and activists across the country have been in prison and also were on the run to escape arrest.

“I am trying to stand by my activists in my own area and I have already distributed relief materials among the helpless people including our party activists as per my capacity,” Majibar Rahman Sarwar, joint general secretary of BNP, told daily sun.

A BNP leader wishing not to be named said a number of the party’s solvent and rich leaders are distancing themselves from the helpless leaders and activists during the covid-19 pandemic.

Another leader said the party gets a lot of aspirants to contest parliamentarian or different local government body elections but they do not stand by the party men during critical time.

However, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a press conference on June 25 claimed that they have distributed relief for over two crore people of the country during this pandemic.