Dhaka: Likening Awami League to a snake, Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday night urged the Hindu people to rally around her party changing their traditional mentality of supporting Awami League.

‘You should make your family members understand that it won’t be wise to only utter Awami League and boat [electoral symbol of AL). You must change this mentality. You’ll make a mistake if you bear the same mentality in the era of 21st century,’ she said.

Khaleda Zia further said, ‘Hindu mothers and sisters don’t know many things as they hardly go outside. It’s the duty of you boys and girls to make them understand about the reality. If you can do that, they may change their mentality and will say we should support it [BNP].’

The BNP chief came up with the call while exchanging greetings with the Hindu community members at her Gulshan office marking Janmashtami.

Saying that AL is not less harmful than a snake, Khaleda Zia advised the Hindu people: ‘You brothers don’t go to treat them as healers. You should remain alert so that the snake can’t bite you.’

The former prime minister alleged that property of Hindu people have been grabbed mostly by the relatives of Sheikh Hasina since the Liberation War.

She urged the Hindu people to disseminate a message among their community members that BNP is not a communal party; rather, it believes in the freedom of all religions.

Questioning why Hindu people did not ensure victory of BNP leaders Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Nitai Roy by casting their votes in favour of them in 2008 as Hindu people were the majority in the two constituencies, Khaleda Zia said, ‘We have to dispel the misunderstanding and mistrust among us.’

The BNP chief also said, ‘We must strengthen our relations [between Hindu and BNP] removing the lacking on both sides.’

Rejecting the report of the recent survey of International Republican Institute that the government’s popularity has been boosted, Khaleda Zia said why does the government is afraid of holding an election if it has gained popularity? ‘Hold a national election and taste which party is most popular,’ she said pointing at the government.

Khaleda Zia also urged the Hindu people to get united to save the country from the misrule of Awami League and restore democracy and the rule of law.

She alleged that the government is not standing by the flood-affected people with necessary relief materials.