A furious Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence yesterday. Photo: Star

Riled that she was not allowed to go out, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday came down hard on the law enforcers posted at her Gulshan residence in the capital.
“What are you doing here? Why are you not speaking now? … You are not allowing me to go out of my house ... this is not right,” Khaleda fumed at the police personnel who barred her from leaving her residence to join the opposition's “march for democracy.”
“Why do the women [female police personnel] talk so much? For how many days have you been on the job that you talk so much? Why do you talk so much? … Shut up, you girls!” she said in a shrill voice in the presence of reporters on the lawn of her house.
To a female officer, the BNP chief said, “Where is your home town? Gopali [Gopalganj]? The name of Gopalganj district will be changed … Gopalganj will cease to exist.”
Venting her anger at the law enforcers, she said, “Stop pushing and shoving … we are not here to push anyone. You are here to do your job, so do that. You are supposed to be on the streets. Why are you inside my house?
“Don't side with the government … don't be its sycophants ... It will be of no use … be neutral … Think about people … side with them.
“Is this country a property of their [Awami League] fathers that they are trying to foil our programme with thugs and police force?”
Carrying the national flag, Khaleda, also chief of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, boarded a car in her house compound at 2:50pm to join the opposition's programme. But the vehicle couldn't come out because of the police barricades in front of the house.
She then got down from the car at 3:35pm and said, “I tried to go out again and again. But I have not been allowed to do so. I'm confined. Let me come out, if you have courage.”
“You are not allowing me today to come out of my residence. You have no right [to keep me confined],” she said.
“Where is your officer? I want to talk to him … Why have I been barred from going out? Why doesn't he [the officer] come in front of me? You said a lot of things earlier. Why are you keeping quiet now?”
“Tell the officer to meet me. I want to talk to him. Can't you understand? I am speaking in Bangla! Do I need to tell you that in a different language? Do you understand?
“We are not against you [the law enforcers] … you are performing your duty. But I think you should it do in a respectful manner so that we can do our job and you can do yours.”
To Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, she said, “If you have the courage, come up with a counter-programme. You don't have that courage … not even 10 people will show up in your programme. You hire people … You gather people using DCs and SPs.
“You [Hasina] neither want to save democracy nor the country. Do you want to be a slave? Will you be a lackey? This slavery will not save you. Read the story of Lhendup Dorjee [the first chief minister of Sikkim after it became part of the Indian Union]. He didn't survive long. He too had to go despite being a lackey.
“Your plan to sell the country won't work. The country will be saved, Inshallah.
“Stop being a sycophant … being Hasina's sycophant won't work. Be with the people of Bangladesh.”
Warning Hasina of dire consequences, she said, “The boat of the Awami League will not reach ashore through a sea of blood of innocent people.
“You all will face tragic and dangerous consequences for what you are [Hasina] doing now. Get ready for the consequences.”
Blaming Hasina for the Pilkhana carnage and “recent killings and disappearances”, Khaleda said the tears of the family members of the slain BDR personnel and other innocent people wouldn't go in vain.
“Those who are oppressing people now will one day be shedding tears like them.”
“Allah's wrath will befall you. How many 'alem' and orphans did you kill? How many BDR officers did you kill? Where was Hasina that day? 57 BDR officers were killed. Where was Hasina's force that day? Why didn't she send the force? Actually, she was involved in the killings. That's why she didn't send a force there on that day.”
Terming the present government illegal and undemocratic, Khaleda asked the government to step down immediately to avoid dire consequences.
“If this government has any dignity, it should quit.”
On the opposition's march to Dhaka, she said, “It will continue today … even tomorrow … let's see what you [the government] can do.”
Slamming the government for restricting her movements, Khaleda said, “Is it democracy? I want to come down to the streets. If you [Hasina] have enough courage, come up with counter programmes. We will see then.”
The BNP chief claimed people from all walks of life would have flooded into the capital if there had been no obstructions.
Earlier, reporters had to climb walls and trees to get inside Khaleda's residence as law enforcers restricted entry through the main gate.