Jalil says 90% BAL leaders in the cabinet have connections with DGFI Dhaka, Sept 24 (bdnews24.com)--Former Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil has alleged that the party leaders who are now in the cabinet have links with the military's intelligence. "Ninety nine percent Awami League leaders who are in the cabinet have connections with Directorate General of Forces Intelligence," Jalil said in a brief interview with a London-based Bangla TV channel on Tuesday. "They only failed to control me," he added. About the incumbent general secretary, Syed Ashraful Islam, Jalil said he had fled the country after the promulgation of the state of emergency. Sheikh Rehana, the younger sister of the incumbent prime minister, later arranged his return to Dhaka after consulting with DGFI, Jalil claimed. Abdul Jalil has delivered many controversial statements in the interview. The channel, which took the interview, is now facing pressure from many quarters not to broadcast it. When contacted by bdnews24.com, Firoz Khan, chairman of the Bangla TV channel, said that they had recorded the interview for a programme titled 'Janatar Mancha'. They had only broadcast a brief portion of the interview in their news bulletin, he said, adding that the channel has taken interviews of some more politicians. Asked when Jalil's interview would be telecast, Khan could not give any specific schedule or date. He declined to reply when asked if they were facing any pressure from any quarter regarding the telecast of the interview. Abdul Jalil has said he made a mistake by not going against the party chief, Sheikh Hasina, on his return to the country to protect his post during the 2007-08 caretaker government regime. "It was my mistake not to go against her. My offence was extreme loyalty to her," Jalil said in an interview with bdnews24.com in London on Wednesday. Now reduced to a member of the party's advisory committee, a body without much say in the organisational matters, the ruling party MP is currently on a visit to London, UK. "Sheikh Hasina ordered me from America to take rest," he said, adding he did not protest the leader's command. "My decision was wrong. I should have taken her head-on." Jalil said the party advisory council has no function now and there is no chance to make it effective. Terming himself and other veteran AL leaders mere activists, Jalil said it was a ploy to oust the activists from politics. He said '90 percent' ministers of the incumbent government are 'reformists'--people who propagated the so-called reform moves in the party to sideline Hasina, allegedly with the patronage of the military-backed interim government. "Ninety percent members of the cabinet were supporters of the reformists." Asked whether there was any agreement between the AL and the caretaker government in the elections, he said: "It might have happened." "I did not contest the elections on the basis of any understanding. People of my constituency love me and I stay with them," Jalil, who was elected MP from a Naogaon constituency, said. He said Hasina had done injustice by making sycophants members of the party presidium. He said it was not possible to implement the manifesto of the party with the newcomers. "They do not have any experience. All of them are new. What do they understand of the party organisation?" Asked whether the party had any understanding with the heroes of 1/11 changeover, he said: "If it was not that, why I had been kept inactive as party general secretary for the last two years." "I am the legitimate general secretary, according to party constitution. "Why [Syed Ashraful Islam] was given the post of general secretary? It could not be done if there was no understanding with the caretaker government," Jalil said. "On return home six months after having treatment from abroad I got my post back. Zillur Rahman was happy to see me.. "But later Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana asked Zillur Rahman to change the decision." "I was arrested because the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence could not bring me under their influence. "I was then giving statement in favour of Sheikh Hasina. Some of my friends were speaking against her and DGFI wanted me to speak like them. But I did not do so. "Sheikh Hasina is my leader. If there is a need for any change it should be done by the party, not by external forces under orders from DGFI. "I told them I would not be able to do that. It was my offence since I did not obey their orders. That's why I was given punishment instead of reward," Jalil said. On the incumbent general secretary, Syed Ashraf, he said: "He fled the country during the caretaker government, but soon came back." Jalil claimed that Rehana had arranged his return, making an understanding with the DGFI. He said Rehana was controlling the party from the backstage and added that she was doing everything in consultation with Hasina. "Otherwise, why would she do that? Sheikh Hasina was not in London that time'" he said. About commerce minister Faruq Khan, he said: "He speaks more than he works. This is dangerous for him." Jalil, a former commerce minister during the 1996-2001 term of the AL government, said: "One should run the ministry being free from any greed. If there is any greed, he can't deliver." Talking about deals with a Swedish company for sugar and edible oil, he said: "Enquiring through the Swedish embassy it was found that the address of the company was fake. "After canceling the deal, Faruq Khan asked the company to submit their tender again. The address was wrong even the next time. "Why did he do that over and over again? Later, we found that he had personal relation with the company." Talking about the activities of the new AL committee, Jalil asked: "Is it possible to work with the novice party men? It took us 50 years to get such position in the party." Asked about his 'April 30 trump card drama' -- the deadline Jalil announced for the BNP-led government to fall in 2006--he said: "It was not only my decision. The leader (Hasina) had approved of that. I did not do anything without her approval. "I have documentary evidence. I have asked for collecting the news reports on the April 30 trump card. "I will present both the reports of trump card and a five-point agreement. I was not alone, I was made a victim. Sheikh Hasina had contribution to the five-point agreement," he claimed. Jalil said: "My offence was that I was loyal to her." About the opposition BNP's parliament boycott, Jalil said: "I think the main opposition should be brought back to parliament by all means because without opposition parliament cannot function. I have spoken to the speaker about that." Asked how long he would pursue politics, the senior leader said: "I will speak for people as long as I live. And protest against any injustice. That is called politics." On the success of the AL-led government, Jalil said: "I hoped that there would be more success. The success achieved so far was not up to our expectation. "Power crisis has remained a nagging problem… We could not add a single megawatt of electricity to the power grid," said Jalil. Asked whether the party would be able to move forward after axing of the five party veterans---Suranjit Sengupta, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Abdur Razzak and himself, he said: "Nothing waits for anybody. Even though the party and the countrymen would be deprived of the experienced leaders." Awami League dropped party stalwarts Amir Hossain Amu, Razzak, Tofael Suranjit, and Jalil from the Presidium, the party's highest policy-making body, at its national council on July 24. Jalil resigned his post on July 21 for 'not being allowed to discharge duty for the upcoming council." He was elected general secretary in the 19th council of the party in December 2002. Jalil was arrested and jailed on corruption charges on May 28, 2007, during the state of emergency, along with many other politicians. He was later paroled by the caretaker government on Mar 2 last year to seek medical treatment in Singapore after falling ill in jail. He returned home six months later. During his detention and while being treated abroad, the outspoken Jalil was reported on a number of occasions criticising Hasina's rule of the party, and saying there was no democracy within Awami League. He denied the statements after his release on bail ahead of the Dec 2008 general elections. He said he was tortured and forced to make such statements during his detention. Jalil announced he was resuming his duties as general secretary after his release, only to find himself sidelined initially as Syed Ashraf, then joint general secretary, continued in his role as acting general secretary for some time. Though Jalil was eventually reinstated, Ashraf had been official party spokesperson since. In a television interview, on Apr 20 this year, Jalil said he wanted to carry on with his duties as secretary general, but there were misunderstandings between him and Hasina. Most recently, Jalil during a speech in parliament on Jun 25 demanded the removal of the prime minister's advisers as they had not sworn any oath of secrecy. He also accused unspecified advisers of attempting to steer the cabinet and hampering the work of the government. |
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