Staff Reporter :
The BNP has protested an interview of its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir published in the Indian daily Ei Samay, calling it distorted and misleading.
In a statement issued Tuesday on its official Facebook page, the party said: “BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has made it clear that the comments attributed to him in the interview published by India’s daily newspaper Ei Samay were never made by him.”
However, the statement did not specify which remarks had been misrepresented.
Several Bangladeshi media outlets carried reports based on the Ei Samay interview under varying headlines.
But, according to the BNP statement signed by Sayrul Kabir Khan of the party’s Media Cell, such reports are “incorrect and misleading.”
The controversy arose over Fakhrul’s alleged comments regarding the Awami League and Jatiyo Party’s participation in the upcoming national election.
On this matter, Fakhrul was quoted as saying: “We have said that the Awami League and all its allies, including the Jatiya Party, should join the election.
Let there be a fair and free vote.” The interview also asked about Jamaat-e-Islami demanding 50 seats.
Fakhrul reportedly replied: “They asked for 30. We showed no interest.
We proposed a much smaller number, which they rejected. But I assure you, we will not let Jamaat climb on our shoulders again.
They are not such a big force; we gave them more importance than they deserved. All this PR-TR talk is just a tactic to put pressure on BNP.”
In response, the BNP said: “As a seasoned political leader, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir never makes reckless or casual remarks.”
The statement added that Fakhrul condemned the publication of such fabricated reports and urged people not to be misled by them.
At the same time, the BNP leader called upon journalists to refrain from carrying misleading or false news.
