BNP leader Ishraque Hossain has described the directive to resign from the Cabinet as the “best advice ever”, claiming that a media outlet and a “vested-interest group” had been preparing a concerted campaign to malign him and assassinate his character.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Ishraque said he initially viewed the prime minister’s directive to resign as a “punishment”, but later realised that the decision was intended to safeguard his political future.
“The honourable prime minister gave me the best advice ever by instructing me to resign from the Cabinet, and I accepted it without hesitation,” he wrote.
According to Ishraque, there had been plans to run “one devastating report after another and spread false propaganda” against him in an attempt to tarnish his reputation and expose him to public criticism.
He also claimed that efforts could have been made to drive a wedge between him and senior leaders who wished him well, leaving him “isolated”.
Ishraque said such a situation could have forced him to “draw the curtain” on his political career.
He said he had also been reminded that the same group had in the past hatched a “terribly unjust plot” against the prime minister.
Outlining his political position, Ishraque said he was a party worker with “unwavering faith” in the prime minister. He also said Tarique treats him like a younger brother and always looks out for his wellbeing.
“I had set out to undertake a difficult task. I managed to step aside and save myself from a terrible conspiracy that stemmed from it,” Ishraque said.
He urged people not to view his remarks merely as a post on social media, saying he was assessing the current situation in light of comments he had received from the prime minister a few days earlier.
Ishraque also warned that action would be taken if anyone within his own party was found to have opportunistically colluded in the alleged conspiracy.
“If any opportunist within my own party is found to be in collusion, then, subject to proof and with permission, I will … give them a hiding,” he said.
Towards the end of the post, Ishraque said there was no room for “rustic political manoeuvring” in Dhaka’s politics.