BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday condemned the Sheikh Hasina-led government for the January 5 election and the misdeeds during its previous term, and also asked it to initiate a dialogue immediately for an inclusive election.
Khaleda also questioned the join force’s drive in Satkhira and the law enforcers’ role in Gaibandha clash with Jamaat-e-Islami saying that people were sceptical about their operations. She also criticised the government for closing the daily Inqilab and arresting its three journalists.
In her speech at the post-election rally in the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan, the three-time former premier refrained from declaring any fresh agitation and asked the party supporters to observe programmes peacefully.
The alliance after the election they had boycotted declared black flag processions across the country for January 29, the day when the first session of 10th parliament sits.
Khaleda said the BNP did not want instability, rather peace and development. “I am not urging you to do any war. You just wage peaceful movement.” She hoped that the government would not obstruct the programme.
Though Khaleda earlier announced that the alliance will hold the rally, on Sunday night, the party announced that they would organise it alone. Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote, Khelafat Andolon and Jamiat-e-Ulamaye Islam leaders were not seen at the venue even though a huge number of activists of Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir attended the alliance’s rallies in the past.
The BNP, which apparently fails to resist the January 5 polls even sponsoring non-stop agitations resulting in violence and destruction, has been sticking to pre-poll position on resolving the political crisis through a dialogue.
Addressing a rally after nearly two and a half months at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan, Khaleda thanked people for “boycotting” the “farcical” election and urged the government to hold fresh poll. The previous rally took place on October 25.
She said it was necessary to initiate a dialogue immediately with a view to hold an acceptable election to bring peace in the country.
The BNP chief termed the government “illegal, shameless, killer and betrayer.”
Branding the government as “father of autocrats,” she alleged that it assumed power forcibly through a one-sided election and raised the issues of vote rigging.
“The government formed after the election in which people did not cast their votes cannot be pro-people. The election has proven that a fair poll cannot be possible without a non-party government. As the government does not have public support, it is trying to stay in power by using force and no government can stay in power by this way,” she said.
Khaleda said the government had no right to sit in parliament. “Everybody has rejected the election. It is not acceptable to anyone. That is why, we want to say, take initiative for talks immediately to hold elections.”
She also termed the Election Commission “spineless” and criticised it for claiming the voter turnout to be 40%. “Five percent vote was not cast in the election” she claimed adding: “No fair election could be held under this Election Commission.”
Several election monitoring groups have recorded the turnout to be around 30-37%.
Citing two national dailies, the BNP chief said, “Those who are voters did not go to the polling centres that day. Only non-voters cast their votes. It is a stigmatised government.”
Attack on minorities
The 18-party leader brushed aside the allegations that the activists of Jamaat and BNP were attacking the Hindu communities across the country.
She alleged that it was the government supporters who had attacked the minority communities “to divert people’s attention from its failure to get public support during the voting.”
She said: “It is the responsibility of the government to ensure security of the minorities. The government has also failed to arrest the attackers.”
Joint forces’ drive
Khaleda claimed that the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh was under threat and urged freedom fighters and young people to protect the country and its democracy.
In her speech at the post-election rally in the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan, the three-time former premier claimed that the government had been “killing and abducting people in the name of joint forces’ drive across the country.”
Criticising the government for closing the daily Inqilab, Khaleda said: “The reports they published also came in Facebook and many online [media]. If the incident was not true, the government should explain it. Why did it arrest the journalists and sealed off the press?”
In a report on January 16, the newspaper claimed that Indian troops were seen among the members of law enforcers conducting joint operation in Jamaat-dominated Satkhira area. Following this, police launched a drive at the newspaper’s office on Ramakrishna Mission Road and arrested three of its journalists – reporter Ahmmed Atiq, Deputy Chief Reporter Rafiq Mohammad and News Editor Rabiulla Ulla Robi. They also sealed its press.
Later, the daily apologised for producing the report.
Khaleda yesterday said: “The way repression is taking place seems that they [join force members] are not the forces of our country. No citizen of Bangladesh can act this way with the countrymen.”
She asked the government to stop “repression” or face the people’s trial one day.
Mentioning about the law enforcers-Jamaat clash in Gaibandha, the BNP chief asked whether the country’s sovereignty was still intact or the government had sold it to others.
Militancy
Khaleda said militancy would be completely uprooted from the country when the Awami League steps down from office. “The BNP will not allow the country to be a free place for militants.”
She claimed that the BNP-led government in 2001-06 had the experience of uprooting militancy. “Militancy increased in the country during the Awami League tenure and the BNP evicted the militants after assuming office.”
The former premier ruled out allegations and cases of money laundering against the BNP leaders. “You [government] are laundering money from the country. We have the information [about the senders and the amount].”
She alleged that the government was violating the constitution.
Terming HM Ershad’s role during the election “drama,” Khaleda said in 1986, Hasina had taken part in the election under Ershad and this time the opposite.
“The two autocrats are eating up the country and plundering the country’s assets,” Khaleda said.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
