Hang it around your neck: Fakhrul on Biden selfie with PM Hasina

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the Awami League leaders and activists have been parading the prime minister's selfie with US President Joe Biden.

"Hang the selfie around your neck. That will help you a lot," Fakhrul said on Sunday (10 August) while attending an event at the Dhaka Reporters' Forum. 

"You are trying to tell the people that Biden is with you now. But, what did your prime minister say a few days ago? She said the US is asking for St Martin's Island," he said. 

The prime minister claimed that because she did not give the island of St Martin's to the US as the country wanted to remove her from power, he added.

"So [now] you have given them Saint Martin's?" Fakhrul added. He also called Hasina's selfie with Biden a "show".

In a BNP press conference earlier the day, Fakhrul said dengue has now become an epidemic in the country due to corruption in the health sector. 

"The whole country is shivering with dengue fever. The news of dengue-related deaths is now the main headline in the media. On average, about 20 people die daily," he said.

"We do not know how many patients are suffering from dengue due to poor quality kits and negligence of the government. But it is easy to imagine that the actual number is several times more than what's being declared," Fakhrul added. 

The dengue epidemic has become acute due to a lack of diagnostic kits in addition to their poor quality. 

"The price of medical equipment to prevent dengue, such as mosquito-killing medicines and sprays, has increased a lot in recent days", he said. 

Fakhrul also alleged that Dhaka North and South City Corporations have looted thousands of crores of taka in the name of dengue prevention.