Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina told the parliament on Monday that BNP is trying to put blame on Awami League after carrying out arson attack on buses as part of their habit.

“Setting busses on fire, BNP is now trying to shift its blame on the government after coming to the parliament as like one is punished for another’s sin. This is their habit as the party was formed through illegal means. Ziaur Rahman came to the power through killings,” she said.

The Leader of the House said this on a point of order following allegations made by BNP lawmaker Harunur Rashid that leaders and workers of their party are now being tortured by implicating in false cases regarding arson attacks on the buses.

BNP set fire on buses mainly to thwart the by-election to Dhaka-18 and Sirajganj-1 constituencies, she added.

“There was no reason to set buses on fire. But why they did it? It was aimed at making the election questionable as they are not getting votes of the people and lost public confidence,” she said.

The PM said BNP knows the politics of killings, firearms and terrorism as they had been involved in various wrongdoings such as creating terrorism, militancy, Bangla Bhai and committing corruption as well as siphoning off money.

Sheikh Hasina called upon the BNP to shun the politics of murder, coup and conspiracy as it is trying to get advantages utilising the bad time of the people during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Prime Minister played the telephone conversation between BNP’s Vice Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury and its central executive committee member Farida Yasmin before she stared speaking in the parliament.

The telephonic conversation between the two BNP leaders relating to torch buses over the recently held by polls to Dhaka-18 and Sirajganj-1 was leaked.

The PM said that it was clear in the CCTV footages who set fire on buses due to the advantages of the technology.

“I have pictures of the misdeed and I can show the pictures that a group of people of the BNP have torched the bus by a gas lighter immediately after a procession of them passed the area. I urge BNP to stop such acts of terrorism,” she continued.

The PM urged the BNP lawmaker not to mislead the nation by giving false information in the parliament as it is sacred place.

About BNP’s participation in the by-polls, the Prime Minister said, “My question is whether they are participating in the election at all.”

She continued that they are taking nominations, but they are not conducting electioneering and even not giving polling agents and at one stage they boycott the election to prove that the election is not held properly.

The PM called upon the BNP to take the election seriously.

Sheikh Hasina said BNP actually lost the public support since it assumed office through conspiracy in 2001.

After coming to the power, BNP resorted to inhuman torture on the Awami League leaders, workers and supporters from October of 2001, she said, adding that they violated many women during that time.

Referring to arson attacks carried out by the BNP and Jamaat men in 2014 and 2015, she said that they had killed people by carrying out arson attacks in a bid to thwart the national polls.

BNP again started the arson attacks in a bid to thwart the by-election to Dhaka-18 and Sirajganj-1 while the government has been trying its level best to help the people and keep running the country’s economy.

Mentioning that the people have no trust and confidence in BNP, the PM said that the people wholeheartedly rejected them even in the 2008 general election.

She continued the people later moved away further from the party for their wrongdoings.

Sheikh Hasina said the BNP has suffered further setback to gain public support as it made a fugitive convict of a murder case and 10-truck arm haul case as the party acting chairman.

The Premier posed a question saying, “Didn’t BNP have qualified leader to make acting chairman of the party?

She further added that their leader is also convicted in a case of embezzling orphans’ money hinting at Khaleda Zia.