BNP on brink of collapse due to its aversion to polls: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Friday said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is teetering on the brink of collapse due to its continuous aversion to elections.

"Due to BNP's continuous aversion to elections and following decisions imposed by others, it is going to become a gang of hooligans [lathiyal bahini] of an individual and today it is on the verge of ruination. If BNP boycotts the next elections, it will collapse," he said.

Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary, said these while addressing a discussion of Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote marking the 93rd birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib at Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.

He said BNP is such a party which doesn't allow its leaders and workers to even contest for member posts in union parishad elections and councilor posts in city corporation polls.

"I would like to ask BNP leaders and activists why they are doing politics of a party which doesn't allow anyone to contest polls. What are the causes for which they will stay as the musclemen of Tarique Rahman," he said.

The minister said now BNP's policy is - none of the party can contest elections until Tarique Rahman can do so.

If BNP boycotts the next national elections, it will see that the party leaders and workers didn't boycott it and they will lose everything for such decisions.

"So, I will urge BNP that if they walk on the path of democracy, it will be beneficial to them. I would like to ask senior leaders of BNP how long they will abide by imposed decisions," he said.

The minister posed a note of warning to BNP over its mass-procession programme, saying if anyone of the party carries out attack on people and police and destroy public properties, they will be dealt with an iron hand.