AL has outdone all autocrats, says Kamal

Jatiya Oikya Front leader Kamal Hossain on Friday alleged that what the government is now doing has outdone all the autocrats and urged it to keep cool.

“I’ll say what the government is doing has outdone all the autocrats,” he said while addressing a press conference at Oikya Front’s Purana Paltan office.

Kamal, also Gano Forum president, alleged that the government is blocking the way for a fair election in the country through arrest and repression of opposition leaders and activists.

He urged the government to immediately stop it or else, he warned, it will be accused of serious crime of violating the constitution.

Asking the government to keep cool, the Oikya Front chief said, “It can’t be called victory if you win an election in such a way. If so, it’ll destroy the constitution and deprive people of their franchise.”

Presenting statistics on attacks and repression on opposition candidates and their supporters, he said, “It’s an unprecedented scenario of the field of election. It’s clear that the incidents are being carried out in a planned way at the directives from the centre. The constitution is being violated through such acts.”

Kamal said drives against opposition leaders and activists by police are going on across the country to suppress the opposition candidates and their supporters.

The Gano Forum chief said opposition candidates and activists are being subjected to unprecedented police harassment. “The way police were let loose on the streets against opposition is unprecedented and contrary to the constitution.”

He said if anyone gets elected without a fair election, they would not be able to claim themselves as public representatives. “It’ll be a false claim if the election is not held in a fair and credible manner. People won’t recognise them as their representatives which will only create a serious crisis.”

Kamal said it will be a serious onslaught on the country’s independence if people cannot cast their votes and the election is not held in a fair and credible manner. “Nothing can be a serious crime than that.”

He called upon law enforcers not to turn the election into a farce, and work neutrally if they have minimum respect for the constitution and democracy.

Replaying to a query about whether the Oikya Front will boycott the election, he said they will be in the election race till the last moment under any circumstances.

Asked whether they are disappointed over the silence of the neighbouring country about the recent attacks on opposition, and the election atmosphere, Kamal said, “I won’t use the word ‘disappointment’, but I still expect positive action… I would beg to people in Delhi to look at those things.”

Mentioning that only a week is left before the election, Kamal said it can be assumed what situation the voters will face on 30 December as the opposition candidates are now obstructed and attacked from carrying out electioneering.

The alliance demanded the election commission reschedule the election in the seats where its candidates have been declared ineligible by court.

Reading out a written statement, Oikya Front leader Jaglul Haider Afrik also alleged that police have now become their rivals in the forthcoming 11th parliamentary elections.

He demanded that the controversial police officials be withdrawn immediately and replaced with neutral ones.

Oikya Front also announced to hold a grand rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on 27 December, and rallies and mass processions in Dhaka-4 to Dhaka-18 constituencies every day at the same time from 21 December to 24 December.

As many as 15 Oikya Front candidates have got their election bid curbed by the apex court on various grounds while its 16 candidates has so far been arrested.