Loan defaulters won’t be nominated: Fakhrul
Staff Reporter :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has pledged to exclude loan defaulters from the upcoming elections. He stated that the party would remain vigilant in avoiding the nomination of any loan defaulters in the forthcoming national polls.
“We are committed to the people and will take every measure to ensure that defaulters are not nominated.
We will exercise the utmost caution in this regard,” he said during a symposium titled “White Paper and Thereafter: Economic Management, Reforms, and National Budget”, held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital on Saturday.
Fakhrul made these comments in response to a question from renowned economist Professor Rehman Sobhan, who inquired whether the BNP would support the proposal to bar loan defaulters from contesting elections as a means of mitigating the influence of money and muscle power.
He added that the party is developing a future course of action to guide the nation forward, drawing on lessons from past experiences. However, he acknowledged that achieving all desired changes may not be immediately possible.
Fakhrul emphasised the importance of rebuilding the country’s institutions. “Our democratic institutions have been dismantled under the Awami League government.
We are committed to establishing strong institutional frameworks. What the country needs most is the restoration of its institutions. Enough is enough; let us truly build the Bangladesh of our dreams and fulfil the aspirations of the people.”
When asked whether the BNP wanted the Awami League – referred to as a fascist political party – to participate in the election, Fakhrul stated that the decision rested with the people. “As a political party, it is not our place to make such a decision,” he remarked.
Regarding the demand for an interim government to oversee the national election, Fakhrul explained that they believe only an elected government can effectively address the nation’s challenges. “An elected government, having come to power with the people’s mandate, has the authority to resolve public issues,” he said.
In response to a question about the Rohingya issue, Fakhrul criticised the Awami League for failing to take sufficient measures to resolve the crisis, including meaningful engagement with China and India, as it was not prioritised.
He affirmed that if the BNP returns to power, they will make every effort to find a suitable solution to the Rohingya crisis, as they had done in the past.
