BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas has accused the media of ignoring the role of businessmen who profited under the previous Awami League government and are now backing various political parties.

Although he refrained from naming any specific businessmen or political figures, Abbas made his comments during an Iftar event for journalists at the Lake Shore Hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Tuesday. He said, "You are not reporting on which businessmen are using helicopters for their travels, who is funding whom, or which political parties are propping up certain businessmen."

"You are not covering certain political parties. Despite many things happening behind the scenes, you remain silent. Yet, you are quick to inflate and exaggerate reports about the BNP", the BNP leader said.

Criticising the lack of coverage on businessmen funding political parties, Abbas stated, "There are businessmen implicated in murder cases—it's not just one or two incidents. Many remain unreported. Even beyond July and August, businessmen have been involved in killings, but you refuse to report on them."

Clarifying that he was not attacking journalists, Abbas emphasised, "I simply want to point out where you are going wrong."

He warned that this was harming the country and the nation, saying: “Why are you (the media) not highlighting who attended the business conference in early July, who got arrested, who didn’t, and why? You should be reporting this.”

He continued, “These people have been amassing wealth for 17 years and will spend the next 17 years using that money to destroy Bangladesh.”

Urging the media to expose such individuals, Abbas said: “They think having money means they own the world. But they don’t realise that not all journalists can be bought. That is something I have witnessed in my lifetime.”

He further explained why he was urging the media to speak out against businessmen backed by the previous "fascist" government.

“I am not speaking against them; I am speaking for myself. I want to survive—I have to survive,” he said.

“If these individuals continue to roam freely with their illegal wealth, no one in Bangladesh will be able to live in peace. They will make this country sick, destroy its people, and ruin its democracy.”

Abbas claimed that it wasn’t only corrupt businessmen, but also loyalists of the Awami League, who continued to hold power over key institutions.

“It’s not just businessmen looting illegal money—look inside the Secretariat. Awami League loyalists are still in control. They are in the Secretariat, the police stations, the union councils—they have infiltrated every sector,” he said.

He urged journalists to investigate and expose their positions to safeguard the nation and its future.

Praising the role of journalists in upholding democracy, Abbas added, “You must report on where Awami League loyalists are positioned today and what roles various political parties and their leaders are playing in Bangladesh's political landscape.”

The event, organised by Amra BNP Poribar in honor of journalists, saw Abbas as the chief guest.