BNP urges interim govt to act like a “caretaker govt” to hold free, fair, neutral polls
NN ONLINE:
BNP today urged the interim government to act like a ‘caretaker government’ to ensure that the upcoming national parliamentary polls would be held in a free, acceptable and neutral manner.
“Today, we came to the Chief Adviser to discuss some of our political concerns, especially on the upcoming parliament election to be held in February next year,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a media briefing after a meeting with Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus this afternoon.
He said, “What is necessary from this moment is to make the upcoming national parliament election meaningful, neutral, and acceptable to all. The interim government can play a role as a caretaker government to this end”. In this connection, he said that the administration must be made completely neutral to move towards a caretaker-type government.
The veteran BNP leader demanded removal of the Awami League collaborators from the secretariat saying, “We have told the meeting that those, who are still in the secretariat and identified as fascist collaborators, be removed and replaced with neutral officials.”
He said similar steps have to be taken in district administration also to hold a free, fair and credible election. “We have also demanded the removal of those who have served the interests of the fascist government. We have also asked for a completely neutral stance regarding the appointment and promotion of police personnel for the election,” he added.
About the judiciary, he said, “Arrangements must be made to remove all those who are identified as collaborators of fascism in the Judiciary especially in the higher judiciary and replace them with neutral judges.”
He added, “Although this is a judicial matter, we have conveyed our concerns to the Chief Adviser since he is responsible for everything.” BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury were present in the meeting with the Chief Adviser at the state guest house Jamuna here.