BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday urged the Prime Minister to return to the path of democracy and arranged the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
“The Prime Minister is repeatedly calling upon our leader (Khaleda) to return to the path of democracy. I want to tell her you (PM) please don’t deceive people with such trickery call. We’re on the right track of democracy. Your party Awami League had obliterated democracy in 1975 by establishing one-party Baksal, but late president Ziaur Rahman restored the democracy,” he told a protest meeting.
Mentioning that BNP chief Khaleda Zia introduced parliamentary democracy and forced Fakhruddin-Moyeenuddin-led interim government to hold the 9th parliamentary elections, he said, “We’ve long been on the movement and struggled for democracy, and still following the same path. Shun the tricks of deceiving people and arrange the next polls under a non-party administration and test who is the most popular?”
South Dhaka city unit of Jatiyatabadi Muktijuddher Prajanma arranged the programme at the auditorium of the Institute of Engineers, protesting the issuance of warrant for arresting BNP senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman and ‘false cases’ filed against him.
Earlier in the day, talking to the grassroots-level AL leaders from Rangpur at her official residence Ganobhaban, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged Khaleda to return to the path of democratic system reiterating that the next election will be held as per the system followed in parliamentary democracies in the world. “And the election will, of course, be free and fair,” she assured the opposition leader.
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s remarks, Fakhrul said the next general election cannot be held in a free, fair and credible manner under the incumbent administration which snatched people’s all democratic rights.
Justifying his claim, the BNP leader said the Awami League in 1973 had made Khandaker Moshtaque winner by changing polls results as well as changed the results of Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon. “Whenever Awami League came to power manipulated the elections’ results using muscle power and state machinery and agencies. The recent Bhola and Brahmanbaria by-polls are the glaring example of their election manipulation.“
He also warned that people will not accept the next polls if the ruling party arranges it under their own administration without reinstating the caretaker government system.
Referring to the results of the recently-held polls to the four city corporations, the BNP spokesman said the ruling party faced a massive debacle in the polls. “Their party-backed candidates also faced a miserable defeat in Thursday’s Kaliganj municipality polls in Gazipur.”
Fakhrul said the ruling party will face debacle in every polls any where in the country as people have lost confidence in it and the current regime got isolated form people.
He alleged that the ruling party candidates with the help of law enforcers picked up a ruling party rebel candidate Jahangir of the Gazipur City corporation polls, slated for June 6, and took to the residence of the Prime Minister and forced him to stay off the polls.
Citing media reports, the BNP spokesman said Jahangir’s family members are not getting his trace. “Has Jahangir been made disappeared like Ilias Ali? We want to ask the government to trace him out.”
He termed the BNP senior vice chairman a symbol and protector of democracy and said Tarique will take strong position for protecting the democracy.
The BNP leader alleged that the government has been carrying out false propaganda campaign against Tarique though they could not prove any allegations brought against him.
He was also critical of the use of indecent and unparliamentarily remarks in parliament and said when the leader of the House spreads falsehood and uses indecent words in parliament how its atmosphere cane be healthy.
