Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque has warned the government of dire consequences if a one-sided election is held without the BNP.
“The door is still open for an understanding. The Opposition leader is giving time to the government to hold a dialogue. There will be no shutdown or blockade, if a dialogue is held,” he said on Monday.
Farroque threatened to intensify agitation if the government went ahead with a one-sided polls without the BNP.
He said the BNP was not interested in the manning of the ministries.
“The Prime Minister has made many leaders of Ershad’s party ministers,” he said, adding that the BNP would not sit idle if a one-sided election was held.
Eight ministers and junior ministers from the Awami League, Jatiya Party and Workers Party joined the all-party interim polls-time government to oversee the upcoming 10th parliamentary election.
Farroque urged the government to be sincere about finding a solution to the current political impasse.
“I would like to request the Prime Minister to be flexible. You have to take the initiative to hold the election under a non-party government.”
He refuted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s claim that the Opposition Leader was responsible for the killing of people during the general strikes. “This is not right.”
“I want the Prime Minister to recall the 1995-96 period. She observed shutdowns for 173 days to press for a non-party caretaker government. She killed people with oars and logs. People have not forgotten that yet.”
The Opposition chief whip said the election must be held within 90 days of dissolving the Parliament.
“One month has passed, and 60 days are still left. This is the scenario of holding election. I have heard that he (the chief election commissioner) will address the nation without declaring polls schedule.”
Farroque said the ‘obedient’ Chief Election Commissioner was unable to announce the poll schedule as he had not got any directive from the government.
He also accused the government of creating confusions by spreading rumour of a meeting between Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
“Our Secretary General has already denied holding any such meeting,” he said.
According to several media reports, the spokespersons of the two major parties had a meeting at the residence of a BNP MP on Saturday night. Fakhrul had dismissed the report terming it baseless.
However, a BNP Standing Committee member has confirmed the meeting. A minister and some Awami League leaders, too, have confirmed it, but Ashraf remained tight-lipped on the matter.
Source: Bd news24