Voterless, lopsided polls not possible this time: BNP
Staff Reporter :
The main opposition party-BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday said the Awami League government wants to hold another voterless lopsided election, but it will not possible this time.
“The government is trying to hold lopsided polls like 2014 and 2018.
This is the reason behind the political crisis.
But it will not be possible as the people are now alerted.
All of the political parties are on the street to realise their demand of holding a credible election under a neutral caretaker government.
So, no polls without voters will be held this time in Bangladesh,” Mirza Fakhrul said while speaking at a seminar in Gulshan in the capital.
The BNP leader said the people who fought the Liberation War in 1971 to build a democratic Bangladesh, have started the movement again to turn Bangladesh into a democratic country.
“As a responsible democratic party, we launched this struggle along with all pro-democratic and patriotic forces to restore democracy.”
BNP arranged the seminar titled ‘The Role of Local-International Community in Restoration of Democracy in Bangladesh and What We Have to Do Right Now’ at a city hotel. The cover of a book styled ‘No Comments’ complied by photojournalist Babul Talukder was unveiled at the seminar.
The BNP Secretary General said the support of the democratic world, the western countries, is providing courage to the movement of restoration of democracy in Bangladesh.
“It is undeniable that the Western countries’ commitment to democracy encouraged us to carry out the ongoing movement for holding fair and inclusive polls under a neutral government,” he said.
“The prime minister revealed the fact on Saturday that ‘you may say anything brother, I want the golden deer’.
This means that anything the America and the European Union says, whatever the political parties here say, she wants to stay in power at any means,” Mirza Fakhrul said.
He said the prime minister has been staying in power unlawfully by usurping power and using the state machinery.
The BNP leader said there are many pessimist people in society, but he think that there was no sign of frustration among the BNP leaders and activists.
“There’s no frustration also among those who are with us and carrying out the simultaneous movement.
We believe we’ll surely win in this struggle as we’re on the right track ,” he said.
The BNP leader said everyone should keep in mind that it is not an easy task for a democratic force to fight against a fascist regime.
He said that many of their party leaders and activists have lost their lives in this movement.
A total of 22 people have been killed over the last one year, while over 1,000 have been subjected to extrajudicial killings, while 45 lakh opposition leaders and activists have been implicated in ‘false’ cases.
“The people of this country are ready to make all kinds of sacrifices to get back their democratic rights,” he said.
“Our leader Begum Khaleda Zia never bowed down though she is very sick amid captivity.
The same way our all leaders and workers have been performing their responsibilities,” he said.
BNP Standing Committee Members Mirza Abbas, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Selima Rahman, Vice-Chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Shahjahan Omar and Barkatullah Bulu, among others, spoke at the event.
