Streets will be under AL's control on 28 Oct: Hasan

Dhaka streets will be under the control of Awami League on 28 October, Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League  Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud said today.

"BNP can declare grand, small, medium rallies... they can also declare walking, running or sit-in programmes. But we don't feel any pressure for those programmes. Awami League is a party of the street. And the streets will be under the control of Awami League on 28 October too," he said while talking to reporters after unwrapping the cover of a book at the secretariat on Sunday (22 October).

The book named 'Bangabandhu Samagra' by writer Saifullah Mahmud Dulal was published by Swarabanjan Prakashani. Publisher Dr Shihab Shahriar was present at the function today.

Criticising a comment of the BNP secretary general, Hasan Mahmud said, "My question is - did Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir actually dream of this Bangladesh as a few months ago he said that 'Pakistan regime was better'? I don't want to talk about anyone's father. But the reality is that his [Fakhrul's] father was a supporter of Pakistan and it is true like the daylight. In fact, according to the statement of Mirza Fakhrul, he didn't see any dream [for the creation] of Bangladesh."

The information minister said BNP was formed with those persons who didn't dream of Bangladesh and were in favour of Pakistan.

"Ziaur Rahman made Shah Azizur Rahman the prime minister who visited the UN as deputy leader of Pakistani representatives during the Liberation War and he told the UN that no genocide is going on in East Pakistan, only Indian mobs are creating chaos and confusion," he added.

Replying to another query over the biopic of Bangabandhu, the minister said the film has portrayed how Bangabandhu became Sheikh Mujib from Khoka, how Sheikh Mujib became Bangabandhu and how Bangabandhu became the Father of the Nation.

"The movie has created a huge response at home and abroad and the expatriates and foreigners are eagerly waiting to see the film," said Hasan.

Mentioning that the BNP is feeling jealous and some leaders of the party are criticising the movie, Hasan said, "Even, a legal notice has been served. But the film portrayed the historical truth."

He said the killers boasted that Ziaur Rahman was involved with Bangabandhu's murder, and they admitted the responsibility of the murder. For more than a decade, the killers and witnesses in the trial have all disclosed Ziaur Rahman's involvement, he added.

Earlier in the function, Dr Hasan congratulated the author of the book, saying people can know many things about Bangabandhu from the book.