<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said the government is depriving many leaders of the party of fresh air and day light by throwing them into the jails.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rizvi said it in a sit-in programme in front of the National Press Club organised by Zia Projanmo Dal (ZPD) demanding the release of BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and&nbsp; other imprisoned leaders.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The jails have turned into permanent residence for many BNP leaders and activists as without any reason they have been imprisoned for months, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Top BNP leaders like the secretary general, standing committee members, vice- chairman, join secretary general have suffered prison terms for three-four month before their release recently," he alleged.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sheikh Hasina’s policy to imprison BNP leaders and activists is not finished yet, he charged.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM, he said, is afraid of BNP and knows that there is no popular support for her.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A government lacking support of the people turns autocratic, Rizvi said adding, it suppresses the people when they raise their voice for rights.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“They resort to all means of suppression such as imprisonment , making ‘Ayana Ghar for torture, use law enforcement&nbsp; agencies to kill opponents&nbsp; and use party cadres to thrash the oppositions," said the BNP leader.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Awami League government imprisoned&nbsp; 25 to 26 thousand BNP leaders and activists before January 7 dummy election, he claimed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A large number of BNP men still remains in prison while a few walked out after serving 3-4 months jail terms, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rizvi said does the government has any honest answer as to why so many BNP members are being put in jail.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The prime minister is doing this only to retain her illegally gained state power, he alleged. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>