BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has claimed that a neighbouring country is conspiring to keep the Awami League in power.
In a reference to the ruling party, he said at a press conference on Monday: “They’re trying to stage a one-party election as per the international master plan.”
When asked to elaborate, Fakhrul said: “There is a report in today’s Manabjamin newspaper that a country will spend 10 billion rupee in Bangladesh’s national election. It will be done for a political party.”
Referring to media reports, he said ‘that country’ spent Tk 8 billion in the last national election too. “The news came out in the Economist. So we fear similar international plot this time too.”
Though Fakhrul did not name India, he mentioned the rupee. The Economist had categorically mentioned the name of India in its report.
The BNP, labeled anti-Indian by the Indian media, tried to strengthen ties with Delhi over the past several years.
During her Delhi visit last year, BNP chief Khaleda Zia assured Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that her party would not let any Indian separatist group use Bangladesh’s territory if her party came to power.
The BNP that time quoted Indian leaders as saying that they wanted to maintain good relations with all the parties representing the people, not only with a ‘particular party’.
Later, back home in Bangladesh, Khaleda later cancelled her scheduled meeting with the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee when he visited Bangladesh amid opposition-sponsored strike.
Indian media reported that Khaleda’s role had disappointed Delhi.
The BNP is demanding that the next parliamentary election be held under non-party caretaker government but the Awami League is not ready to let unelected people enjoy state power.
As a move to reach a compromise, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina proposed an all-party government to hold the election.
Turning down the proposal, Fakhrul on Monday said: “The BNP won’t take part in any all-party government. We won’t join the one-party polls.”
Source: Bd news24
