Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said BNP's 27-point demand is a mockery with the people as the party itself needs to be reformed, not the state.
"The party (BNP) need reforms as they took the position against the people in the last 14 years and did politics holding the countrymen hostage and killed masses through arson attacks in the name of politics. The common people naturally get scared when this type of political party talks about reforming the state," he said.
The minister said this while replying to a query from reporters at the meeting room of his ministry at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Hasan said BNP's 27 demands are conflicting with their policy as the party formed alliance with fundamentalists. The core ideology of some of those fundamentalist parties is to turn the country into Afghanistan, he said.
On the other hand, the minister said, BNP gave a proposal that 'religion is for individuals while state is for all' which is extremely conflicting with their policy.
In fact, he said, the 27 demands are mockery with the people. There is a proposal that 'there will be no compromise with corruption'. Some are telling that, actually BNP means that they will continue corruption like before, he added.
He said BNP made the country champion in corruption for five consecutive times and gave it (corruption) an institutional shape through running parallel government by building 'Hawa Bhaban'.
The minister said the title of those demands is not proper. "Is it a factory that needs to repair? In fact, BNP needs to be reformed," said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.
Replying to another query over a BNP leader who attended his mother's funeral wearing handcuff, the minister said, "I checked the issue and talked with police administration of Gazipur. But it is the duty of the jail administration to use handcuff. It is not under police administration. There is IG prison. Extra persecutions might have been taken there as some militants fled a few days ago."
He said, "I also talked to higher officials of police. They didn't know the matter. But I think, it could be better if the handcuff was removed during the janaza."
Replying to another query over a statement of the chief election commissioner, the minister said one of the most important responsibilities of the Election Commission is to make all parties election-oriented. "We also want that all political parties including BNP would take part in the polls. We want a free, fair, transparent and participatory election. It is BNP's own matter whether they take part in the polls," said Hasan.