Never gave interview to Ei Samay, its fake, AI-made: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today (23 September) dismissed as “fake and fabricated” an interview published in his name by Kolkata-based online outlet ‘Ei Samay’.

“That news is fake! They [Ei Samay] used artificial intelligence [AI] to create this false and misleading report,” Fakhrul told UNB over the phone from New York, where he is attending the 80th session of the UN General Assembly with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.

He added that no political leader could have made the “absurd” comments attributed to him. 

Fakhrul also said he has not spoken to any Kolkata-based media.

BNP says report ‘misrepresented and misleading’

Earlier in the day, the BNP issued a statement calling the Ei Samay interview “misrepresented and misleading,” though the party did not claim that no interview took place.

“BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has clearly stated that the remarks attributed to him in the interview published in India’s daily newspaper Ei Samay were never made by him,” the BNP said.

The party’s statement, however, did not specify which remarks were misleading.

It said that as a senior political leader, Fakhrul never makes “frivolous” statements.

What Fakhrul said in the interview

Ei Samay, on its website eisamay.com, published a report yesterday titled “‘Why is India putting BNP and Jamaat in the same bracket?’ asks Mirza” claiming that its correspondent Anamitra Chatterjee had recently interviewed Fakhrul in Dhaka.

Citing the interview, various media outlets in Bangladesh today published reports focusing on Fakhrul’s comments on the Awami League and Jatiyo Party’s participation in the national polls.

According to the Ei Samay report, Fakhrul said Awami League and Jatiyo Party should take part in the upcoming national election for a free and fair vote. 

Ei Samay quoted Fakhrul as saying, “We have said that the Awami League and all its allies, even the Jatiya Party, should take part in the election. Let there be a fair and free vote. For saying this, many people are insulting me—calling me an agent of India, a stooge of the Awami League. But why should we repeat Sheikh Hasina’s misdeeds?” 

The interview asked regarding Jamaat asking for 50 seats. To this, Ei Samay quoted Fakhrul as responding, “They asked for 30. We showed no enthusiasm. We mentioned a much smaller number, which they didn’t like. But I assure you, we will not allow Jamaat to climb on our shoulders anymore.”

Reactions from Jamaat, NCP

In reaction to the Ei Samay report, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar condemned Fakhrul for his statement regarding seat-sharing between the two parties.

In a statement, Porwar said Jamaat is taken aback that a senior politician like Fakhrul would make such completely “false, disrespectful and vindictive” statements about the party.

“If these remarks are indeed his, we are compelled to voice our protest and condemnation,” he added.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the NCP’s Banglamotor office this afternoon, National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam warned that if the BNP begins politics to rehabilitate the Awami League, it will bring disaster for the party.

Nahid urged BNP to focus on building a “new Bangladesh” rather than reviving AL. 

“If they do so, they will gain the support of young people. Politics in Bangladesh must now move forward through justice and reforms.”

NCP Chief Organiser (North) Sarjis Alam has also condemned Fakhrul’s alleged statements.

“BNP and Mirza Fakhrul must learn from the Awami League. Every political party must take a lesson,” he said during a NCP rally in the capital’s Shahbagh this evening.

Sarjis said, “We want to know if they [BNP] intend to betray public trust again, negotiate with India, please them, align with Awami League, or negotiate with the Jatiya Party to return to power in the new Bangladesh.”