‘Fresh poll will end agitation’

Oli Ahmed was speaking at a press conference at his Mohakhali DOHS residence on Monday, a day after the Awami League won in the 10th parliamentary election boycotted by the Opposition alliance.

“I will urge the Prime Minister to forget resentments and hold a fresh election after a dialogue. Only then will the country be in peace,” he said.

The 18-party alliance in a long campaign for polls under a neutral government boycotted and actively resisted the election process.

A 48-hour strike is being enforced from Monday by the alliance, on top of an ongoing blockade, to push the government into cancelling the polls.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in a press conference at Ganabhaban on Monday, asked BNP chief Khaleda Zia to give up violence and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami, and work instead for a dialogue to hold the next election.

Even though Oli stressed talks to end the state of confrontation, BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Zia ruled out all possibilities of holding discussions with an ‘illegal’ government at a press conference in London.
He urged leaders and activists to continue with the movement until their ‘final’ goal was attained.

When asked about the 18-party alliance’s actual stand, Oli said, “Osman Faruk talked about dialogue, the scrapping of this election, and announced programmes on behalf of the alliance. What Tarique Rahman said about continuing the agitation is also valid.”

He said the government must agree to talk to all parties and announce a fresh election before they reconsidered their campaign programmes.

Or else, the government would have to shoulder responsibility of all, said the former army officer.

He termed Sunday’s election ‘ridiculous and rigged’ and said, “Majority of the voters did not turn up. We have learnt from the media that only three to 12 per cent came out to vote.”

The LDP chief also claimed that BNP chief Khaleda Zia was being confined to her home.