Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sunday said the incumbent Awami League-led government has destroyed Bangladesh’s education system.

The BNP chief came up with the remark while addressing a student rally organised by Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) marking its 38th founding anniversary at Institution of Engineers’, Bangladesh in capital Dhaka.

The former prime minister hoped to lead the party again to return to power waging a movement saying, ‘I had led the anti-Ershad movement...I was on the streets with you [people]. I had brought BNP to power thrice. The party will be brought to power again through reorganising it and giving leadership to those who are qualified.’

She asked the JCD activists to get prepared to protect the country and go to power and serve the poor.

‘We'll have to wage a timely movement, I won't give any specific deadline right now,’ she said greeting all on the occasion of New Year. 

Khaleda Zia alleged that the government is formulating various laws one after another to hang on to power for ever. ‘It won't be possible to stay in office for a long time by force.’

She criticised the leaders and activists of her party's student body, JCD, for not being active against the government's misdeeds and repressive acts.

The BNP chief asked the JCD leaders and activists to discard traditional and old slogans and make new ones applying their creativity against killings, enforced disappearances, corruption and the government's other misdeeds.

‘I don't want to hear slogans of take Salam from JCD South and North... don't raise slogans like Khaleda Zia has no fear as we don't leave the streets. You and our leaders were not on the streets. You left the streets. So, don't raise this slogan.’

As the JCD men kept quiet in reply to her a question whether they read her 13-point proposal on Election Commission formation, Khaleda Zia turned angry saying, ‘What kind of students you are. Why do you do Chhatra Dal or Jubo Dal.’

Pointing to her party leaders, she also said, ‘You please don't induct boys from slums in the party. I don't want to see quantity, but quality. I'll see whether qualified boys and girls are getting involved with it.’

She also asked the party leaders to accommodate brilliant and competent students in the JCD so that they can serve the party and the nation as well.  

The BNP chief also said they will arrange training for JCD men from now on to groom them up as future political leaders. ‘We'll now provide you training so that you can truly turn into golden boys and girls to lead the country and serve the nation.’

Referring to the killing of Gaibandha MP Manjurul Islam Liton and another gun attack on a Khulna Awami League leader, Khaleda said any kind of killing incident must be stopped. ‘I don't want to consider who belongs to Awami League or BNP. My only demand is to stop murder incidents.’  

The former prime minister accused the ruling party of hatching a plot to destroy the country and pushed it to another direction like Sikkim in a planned way.

She also alleged that the government is not procuring arms maintaining proper procedures and rules as it is only trying to appease India and some other countries by buying arms from them and sacrificing the national interests only to get their support to cling to power.  

The BNP chief said there are now many intelligence members of other country staying in the country. ‘It's now a big question of the nation how many detectives of other countries are now staying in Bangladesh. Intelligence members of other countries can't be there in an independent country.’

Mentioning that members of the police are often firing shots on BNP leaders and activists, she also doubted whether the policemen indulging in such activities are Bangalees.

Referring to media reports that policemen torched the houses of Santals in Gaibandha, Khaleda claimed they also did the same thing and hurled petrol bombs during BNP's movement to shift the blame onto her party and tarnish its image.

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal was founded as student wing of BNP on January 1, 1979.