KOLKATA: The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has sought New Delhi’s help to “restore democracy” in that country. Bangladesh is going through a major crisis now with violent clashes between BNP and ruling Awami League (AL) activists and supporters in the midst of a nation-wide shutdown called by the BNP.
The BNP is demanding fresh parliamentary polls in the country under a neutral caretaker government and in the presence of international monitors. It boycotted the 10th parliamentary polls held on January 5 last year and had decided to observe January 5 this year as a “black day” through nationwide protests. But the AL government cracked down on BNP leaders, arresting thousands of them, ahead of the planned protests. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, along with nearly 70 of her close aides, has been kept confined at her office at Gulshan in Dhaka since Saturday evening.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told Times Of India over phone from Dhaka that democracy was facing a serious threat in his country. “Failure of democracy in Bangladesh will push this country towards extremism,” he said. Rise of extremism in Bangladesh would have serious security implications for India.
“India as a neighbor and a friendly country should stand by the people of Bangladesh to restore democracy. India is a mature democracy and Bangladesh also aspires to be a truly democratic country. Free and fair elections are the bedrock of democracy,” said Khan. He said that his party has announced a peaceful and democratic agitation to mark the first anniversary of last year’s controversial elections as a ‘Black day for democracy’. “But the government, using brute force, is trying to thwart our movement for restoration of democracy. Armed goons of the ruling party, under the protection of the police, are attacking our party members and supporters and torching our party offices. Over 2000 of our party members have been arrested, 4 killed and more than 500 injured in attacks on them by police and Awami League goons,” Khan told TOI.
The BNP and other major opposition parties boycotted last year’s polls after the incumbent Awami League government refused to honour a previous Constitutional provision that mandates an incumbent government to handover power to a neutral caretaker government to conduct free and fair parliamentary polls. The AL govt. changed that provision by amending the Constitution when it came to power. The international community had
denounced the polls that gave the Awami League a walkover. Since then, the BNP has been demanding that the controversial polls be countermanded and fresh elections held under a neutral nonparty administration.
The Awami League, Nazrul Islam Khan added, is maligning India’s name by claiming that it had New Delhi’s full support in cracking down on opposition forces. “The Awami League government has been claiming that the earlier (UPA) government as well as the present (NDA) government is firmly behind it and that’s why it feels emboldened to go ahead with its brutal crackdown on our peaceful and democratic movement. India is getting a bad name because of this and we hope that India will try to realize the sentiment of our people and will act accordingly,” he added.
The two-storey building at Gulshan that houses Begum Zia’s office has been ringed by armed police and barricaded with trucks laden with bricks and sand. “There are around 70 of us in this building and we are not being allowed to move out of here. This is blatant dictatorship. The authorities have cut of power and water supply and food supply is scarce,” BNP chairperson’s special Assistant Shamsur Rahman ‘Shimul’ Biswas said over phone from the besieged office. Biswas and other senior party functionaries who attempted to walk out of the office late Monday afternoon along with Begum Zia were injured when police hurled tear gas and pepper spray on them.
Source: Times of India