Staff Reporter :
There was no scope for a dialogue with the ruling party Awami League (AL) until quitting power by accepting the opposition parties’ demand, says the BNP.
In fact, The Awami League wants to score goals in an empty field in the upcoming election without the participation by the opposition parties, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir while addressing a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on Friday.
Considering the present circumstances, he said adding there is no 2nd option than ousting the current regime through a united movement by the opposition parties.
BNP is holding talks with those who do not accept this government and those who think this regime has destroyed democracy in the country, he said. “They must hand over power to a caretaker government for which we have waged a simultaneous movement 32 years ago, he added.
According to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, “She (Sheikh Hasina) does not want the opposition parties to join the election. They’re used to scoring goals in empty fields and getting walkovers. We trust that people no longer like this kind of election.”
BNP as a liberal democratic party wanted to join the election, but it had to be a genuine election, not a farce, the BNP leader said.
He said that a fair and credible election could not be held under those who stuffed ballots at night before the election, got 154 people elected without voting, barred the opposition candidates from participating in the electioneering and arrested opposition leaders and activists to make the field empty.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the remarks trashing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s remark that her government wants all parties to take part in the 12th parliamentary election.
Sheikh Hasina had been staying in power by deceiving and intimidating the country’s people and resorting to falsehood, the BNP Secretary General said and added there was no reason for the BNP to be afraid of participating in fair elections.
“Rather, they (AL) fear that they won’t be able to retain power if the election is held in a credible manner. That is the bottom line. That’s why they’re completely depriving people of voting rights by using various techniques and deceptions. So, people now don’t go to the polling stations to cast their votes,” he said.
“It can’t be accepted that election will be held by unleashing a reign of terror…this is how the military dictators prolong power as they’re afraid go to people and seek votes from them. This is the reality,” the BNP leader said.
He alleged that Awami League like the other authoritarian government in the world has made the election a farce and a game only to cling to power.