BNP Starts Coronavirus Awareness Campaign

Yesterday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party initiated its campaign to raise the consciousness of the outbreak of coronavirus in the country and clarified that they were not doing politics with the outbreak.

The party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir started the campaign by distributing leaflets among the passers-by and shopkeepers at Naya Paltan in the capital in the morning, four days after Bangladesh confirmed the presence of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Talking to reporters prior to distributing leaflets, the BNP leader said that they began the campaign as a  responsible political party and that they instructed all the party units across the country to create awareness among the people and stand by the victims.

The leaflets featured a message about what is to be done to prevent coronavirus infection.

If hand sanitizers become unavailable or prices shoot up, the leaflet suggested people buy soap and if prices of soap go up, it suggested to wash hands with lemon juice.

If lemon prices go up, it suggested to wash hands with salt and if salt prices go up, the leaflet suggests to wash hands with hot water.

If water prices go up, the leaflet suggested people disinfect hands keeping them above the fire for some time.

Apparently meaning ruling Awami League general secretary Obaiudul Quader’s asking BNP not to do politics with coronavirus, Fakhrul said, ‘Coronavirus had spread around the globe epidemically. There is no relation to politics with it. Shouldn’t we point out the government’s failure? If we say anything about it, they (AL) will say “don’t do politics”.’  

He said that different countries had declared an emergency for ending coronavirus infection. In Bangladesh, awareness was not created regarding the virus and the government even did not give due importance at first, he said adding that there were no thermal scanners in courts, the number of thermal scanners was inadequate at airports and all the facilities at hospitals were not ensured to combat coronavirus.

‘They began the activities when it is too late. They were busy with observing a special year for political reasons,’ he said, ‘The government had no accountability to the people as they came to power forcibly.’

Saying that the demand for the release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was the people’s demand, Fakhrul said, ‘There is no question of politics here. Releasing Khaled Zia on the humanitarian ground has now emerged as an emergency issue.’

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, volunteer affairs secretary Mir Sarafat Ali Sapu and assistant organizing secretary Abdus Samad Azad, among others, were present.