The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Detained former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday called upon the government for holding the parliamentary elections first saying that the caretaker government has no mandate to hold local government elections.

"We also want local body elections, but the elections must be held under elected government," she said while talking to reporters after appearing at a special court at Parliament complex in the GATCO case.

Begum Zia wanted to know why the present is bent on holding local body polls when all major parties are demanding the national elections first.

Asked whether the BNP would take part in the announced city corporation and pourasabha polls, the BNP chief said she would own the decision that would be taken by the 4-party alliance.

She alleged that the government is going to hold the local government polls with an ill motive to install its chosen people in power.

Replying to a question, Begum Zia said there is no grouping in her party and the grassroots leaders and activists of the party are for advancing the party facing all sorts of odds and repression.

About the illness of her sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko, she said their health conditions are gradually deteriorating day by day. She said the government would be held responsible for their bad physical condition in custody.

The BNP chief said though the present government had assumed power by giving lip service to reducing corruption, but as a fact the rate of corruption has increased.

"Increasing corruption is eating up the wealth of the country. That's why the government should immediately quit power," she observed

Painting a gloomy picture of the national economy of the country, she said country's economy now is crippled, trade and commerce stand still and the country has been thrown back 20 years.

"People are battered by soaring prices. Earlier, business syndicate was blamed for it. Now who are behind such syndicate? The present government is doing the syndicate," she alleged.

The BNP chairperson said the people are starving. A famine-like situation prevails in the country.

Meanwhile, a special court yesterday once again deferred the date of hearing on the GATCO scam case against Begum Zia and 23 others, including her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko to June 30.

Judge Shahed Noor Uddin passed the order after rejecting a defence plea for adjournment on charge hearing.

The defence counsel sought for the adjournment as the fate of the case lies with the higher court for disposal.

The court resumed at about 10:35am following Begum Zia and other 16 accused in custody, including former ministers Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, M Shamsul Islam, MK Anwar, Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, AKM Mosharraf Hossain and Jamaat Ameer Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami were produced before it.

Khaleda Zia'a son Koko was brought to the court premises from a hospital prison cell by an ambulance. Later, he was taken to the courtroom in a wheelchair along with a stand-by oxygen cylinder. A physician followed him.

The accused are charged with causing a loss of over Tk 14 crore to the public exchequer by striking the container handling deal with GATCO.