Human chain on March 11: No farcical election will be allowed to be held under AL: BNP

Staff Reporter :
The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has said that they will not allow the ruling Awami League to hold anymore farcical election under the Constitution as, what they say, has been amended for serving their purpose.
“The ministers of the government say – the general election will be held under the current Constitution. Which Constitution is it? Is it the Constitution which has been amended by Awami League to hold a stage-managed election? Is it the election where people do not go to cast votes?” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.
Before launching their road march programme in Uttara in the capital, the Secretary General came up with the statement on Saturday.
There will be no free, fair and impartial election under the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he said adding “This time it will not be allowed to hold a farcical election. It will not be allowed to hold Awami League’s election. For this we are continuing peaceful movement.”
Urging the party leaders and workers as well as people to carry on their movement, Fakhrul said, “We have been continuing our movement for 15 years. We will continue it. If we face obstruction, we will overcome it.”
BNP has again announced new programme ‘holding human chains’ in all metropolitan and district levels on March 11. The human chain will also be held by the like-minded political parties on the same day.
About BNP’s movement, Fakhrul said, “Our movement is not meant for installing BNP to power. This movement is for restoring people’s right. It’s a movement to bring back people’s right to speak. It is useless to intimidate us when cases are filed frequently and our workers are picked up at night.”
Carrying banners and chanting slogans in favour of their 10-point demands including a caretaker government, BNP and likeminded opposition parties organised the road march in eight divisional cities including the capital.  
On the other hand, the Awami League organised a peace rally in response to the BNP’s road march. The party supporters and leaders have gathered at a central location, carrying flags and banners with messages of peace and unity.
According to BNP, the road march was held in Dhaka North and South, as well as in Narayanganj, Gazipur, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Faridpur, and Cumilla.
As part of the simultaneous movement, the 12-party political alliance also held road march programme at Bijoynagar Panir Tank premises with 10-point demands including resignation of the government, unconditional release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and others, and reduction of the price hike of daily essentials.
The leaders said that the government wants to go to power again through vote rigging in line with 2014 and 2018 elections, but the people will not allow it in the upcoming election in 2024.
“The electricity price has been increased three times within a month, causing immense sufferings of the people. The country’s situation is deteriorating day by day. The prices of daily essentials are out of reach. The broiler chicken is being sold at Tk 250 per kilogram while one dozen egg at Tk 155. A silent famine is going on,” Chairman of a faction of Jatiya Party Mostafa Jamal Haider said.
Secretary General of Liberal Democratic Party Shahadat Hossain Selim said, “The government which cannot tolerate peaceful movement is creating obstruction by unleashing attacks. If the government remains in power, how it will allow the opposition to hold election campaign.”
In Rangpur city, BNP Organising Secretary Asadul Habib Dulu said, “The government is now telling that Khaleda Zia can now do politics. It means they are scared. We don’t believe Awami League. Their words and action do not match.”