BNP urges CA to act as caretaker to ensure fair polls

Staff Reporter  :

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the interim government must function in the manner of a caretaker administration to make the upcoming national election fair, participatory, and acceptable to all.

“We met with the Chief Adviser to convey our concerns. To ensure that the upcoming election is meaningful, fair, and acceptable to everyone, it is essential from this point onward that the interim government operates as a caretaker government,” he told reporters on Tuesday after a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House, Jamuna.

Highlighting the need for neutrality, Fakhrul said the first step is to convince the public that the administration is completely impartial.

He alleged that “allies of fascists” still occupy key positions in the judiciary and urged the Chief Adviser to remove them and appoint neutral judges instead.

“To ensure full impartiality, we have demanded the removal of any individuals within the administration who are affiliated with political parties,” he said.

“In particular, I urged him [Yunus] to remove those loyal to fascist forces from the Secretariat and replace them with neutral officials,” Fakhrul added, noting that this should also be applied at the district level.

“We believe many officials are still serving the interests of the previous fascist government. We have therefore demanded their replacement,” he said.

The BNP leader also emphasized the need for neutrality in upcoming police appointments and promotions.

Earlier, around 6pm, a BNP delegation led by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met with the Chief Adviser to discuss election preparations.

The meeting, which lasted for about an hour, was attended by Standing Committee members Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salauddin Ahmed.

Before the meeting, party sources said the BNP believes individuals linked to Jamaat-e-Islami are being favoured in recent administrative transfers and appointments related to election preparations.

The party also alleged that some advisers are displaying partisan behaviour, particularly favouring Jamaat-e-Islami in key reshuffles.

BNP claimed that Jamaat-linked individuals are being given priority in preparing panels for polling officials, and the party has obtained evidence of this.

The party expressed concern over the issue and planned to bring it to the attention of the Chief Adviser, along with broader political matters, including the recently signed July National Charter.

A BNP Standing Committee member told The Business Standard that although the National Citizen Party (NCP) has not yet signed the charter, it still has the opportunity to do so.

“We want all anti-fascist political forces to join the charter. BNP will request the Chief Adviser to take steps to persuade the NCP to sign it,” the leader added.