The BNP wants the national election by the middle of this year and local government polls afterwards.
The party believes that local government polls before parliamentary election would be a delaying tactic.
“The government should abandon plans for local government elections and instead focus on holding a national election by mid-year, in line with the public aspirations,” said a standing committee member wishing anonymity.
The issue was discussed during a standing committee meeting, the highest policymaking body of the BNP, at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office last night.
Party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman joined the meeting from London virtually.
Meeting sources said the party leaders were for putting pressure on the interim government through seminars and discussions to have the general election by the middle of this year.
“We have supported the government, and we will continue it. But that does not mean that the government will remain in the office for an indefinite period,” said another standing committee member.
The interim government has indicated that the national election is likely to be held either later this year or early next year, depending on reaching a consensus on reforms. The government has also stated that if there is no significant demand for widespread reforms from the political parties, the polls may be scheduled earlier.
The BNP, however, maintains that reforms are an ongoing process and should continue, but the election should only be conducted after implementing the necessary reforms.
The meeting also discussed in details the local government polls. All senior leaders said this attempt will delay the general election as local government polls will take place in different phases and it will take more than one and a half years to complete the process.
“The interim government is supposed to hold the national election, not the local government polls,” said a standing committee member.
The party also discussed the government’s decision to raise VAT and supplementary duties on over 100 goods and services midway through the fiscal year.
During the meeting, BNP leaders expressed frustration over the tax increase, arguing that no elected government would implement measures that exacerbate public sufferings.
They criticised the hikes in VAT and other taxes, particularly on goods and services integral to daily life and public welfare.
Contacted, Abdul Moyeen Khan, standing committee member of the party, said, “Shall I be wrong if I say that the IMF became a collaborator of the fascist Awami League regime and shored up their collapsing economy by providing a $4.7 billion loan to sustain an illegitimate government?
“Moreover, will it be an overstatement if I ask that are they not planning now to destroy this interim government by forcing them to take an anti-people as well as an illegal economic measure to make them unpopular and lead the country to another mess by misleading this government on the pretext of stabilising the country’s financial platform?”
Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called a press conference at the BNP chief’s political office in Gulshan today to discuss the outcomes of the meeting.
The meeting also reviewed the treatment and health condition of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is undergoing treatment in the UK.
Party leaders expressed gratitude for her gradual recovery. Some leaders noted that her improving health is positive news for the party, adding that she is in good spirits and spending quality time with her family at the hospital.
Khaleda was admitted to the London Clinic on January 8.
Daily Star
