Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said BNP did not get success in recent elections as the leadership of the party was involved in crime and corruption.
“How can a party win if its leadership is in such a state?” the prime minister said, responding to a question at a media briefing organised on Monday to highlight her recent visit to the US, reports bdnews24.com.
“One of them is convicted of stealing money from orphans, while another is accused in the 2004 grenade attack and has emigrated outside the country.”
"Why would the people vote for such a party?" Hasina asked.
“They can’t even contest the elections.”
The opposition party has lost its confidence because it knows there is no way for them to gain power, Hasina said.
As there is no possibility of victory, the BNP seeks to undermine the election and cast aspersions on it to court controversy and divide the people, Hasina said.
The prime minister started the press conference at 4 pm on Monday from her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka.
Hasina was in the US for a two-week visit, her first overseas trip after the coronavirus pandemic began. She attended the UNGA and other high-profile events from Sept 19-23. The prime minister attended the UNGA virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She delivered a speech at the UNGA on Sept 24, calling on the international community to act together on global common issues and create space for new partnerships and solutions to tackle emergencies.
In her address, Hasina said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the inadequacy of the global response to emergencies. It has also put a spotlight on the 'critical need' for global solidarity and collaboration, according to her.
She joined a high-level meeting on climate change in New York on Sept 20 at the invitation of her British counterpart Boris Johnson and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
She planted a sapling at the UN Headquarters the same day to mark the birth centenary of Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The same day, the prime minister joined a virtual event titled ‘Sustainable Development Solution Network’.
On Sept 21, Hasina joined the inaugural session of the general debate in the UN Headquarters. She also joined the event ‘Business Roundtable: US-Bangladesh Business Council’ that day.
The prime minister addressed the ‘White House Global COVID-19 Summit: Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better’.
She joined an event on imperatives for a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis on the sidelines of the UNGA. She held bilateral meetings with Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and UN chief Guterres, and many other leaders in New York.