Khaleda demands fresh polls, terms govt illegal

Terming the new government illegal, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday demanded fresh parliamentary polls as soon as possible under a neutral administration. “I call upon this shameless government to prove its popularity by holding a fresh election under a neutral administration,” she said while addressing a mammoth rally at Suhrawardy Udyan. The BNP chief said this government is completely illegal as it has not been elected by people. “People have rejected the current government by not casting their votes in the January 5 election.” Khaleda said this isolated and weak government is trying to hang onto power using arms, not by people’s mandate as the voters showed their no-confidence in the government through boycotting the elections. The former premier claimed that the voter turnout in the election was less than 5 percent, but the Election Commission showed it 40 percent three days after the election. The BNP chairperson urged all to join their countrywide ‘black flag procession’ on January 29 in protest against the maiden session of the 10th parliament. “Today, the country is passing through a very critical time because of the government’s continued repression. People are now fed-up and they’ll drive this repressive regime out very soon,” Khaleda told the rally. The BNP, which boycotted the January 5 parliamentary elections along with its alliance partners, organised the rally to formally thank the country’s people for what it said boycotting the polls. Khaleda arrived at the rally venue at 4pm and took her seat on the podium at 4.10pm. The rally began around 2:15 pm with the recitation of verses from the holy Quran. BNP publicity secretary Zainul Abdin Farroque moderated the rally. Self-proclaimed Jatiya Party chairman Kazi Zafar Ahmed, LDP president Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, BJP president Andaleev Rahman Partha, Jagpa president Shaiful Alam Pradhan, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Jamiruddin Sircar, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman and Dr Moyeen Khan, among others, addressed the rally. Senior BNP leaders and top leaders of 18-party other than Jamaat-e Islami joined the rally. As part of its countrywide programme and the first of its kind after the national election, the party held the rally, apparently to stage a showdown. Similar rallies were also held in all divisional cities, district towns and upazila headquarters.