Accusing Atalay of coordinating a “[Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK initiative” and acting as a militant for the outlawed organization Bahçeli said it was inevitable that Atalay would be tried in the Constitutional Court.
Underlining that the MHP’s sole concern is the integrity and prosperity of the Turkish nation, Bahçeli said those who “backbite” about the party are slanderers and “prisoners of their ill intentions.” Condemning Atalay, Bahçeli said the minister should immediately resign from his position for coordinating the initiative and failing. In response to debates on the use of two official languages in Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said, “The official language of Turkey is Turkish. Any attempt that seeks to change this fact will not be tolerated.” During the group meeting Bahçeli said they were going to make sure Prime Minister Erdoğan lived up to what he said regarding the official language of the country.
The MHP leader said only time would tell if Erdoğan had the willpower to recognize his mistakes and rectify them, if he was loyal to the Constitution’s non-amendable three articles, and whether he was committed to the promise of effectively fighting terror.
Bahçeli had exhibited much ire over the “dual language” and “self-government” debates. He stressed that no one had the power to lay the foundations for an independent Kurdistan covering four countries -- Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran -- in the name of self-government. Adding that no one can ruin the sacred legacy of the ancestors and divide the country, the MHP leader said, “Those who long for a confederation model that is based on two languages, two flags and an autonomous government, will certainly meet the Turkish nation’s iron fist in silk gloves.”
Bahçeli warned that no one should even fantasize about fragmenting Turkey and underlined that Turkey does not have “single pebble” to give away, let alone a piece of land. He said if despite their determination, there were people who continued to consider dividing and fragmenting Turkey, then it would be a pride and political honor for the MHP to hold responsible these groups that intend evil and to make them pay.
Bahçeli described the attack on the Velibaba Cemevi in İstanbul’s Başakşehir Şahintepe neighborhood as brutal. He noted that the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government needed to contemplate what actions should be taken against those who use and attack the Turkish flag to spark provocations. During the meeting, Bahçeli also honored National Poet Mehmet Akif on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of his death.
