The BNP’s acting secretary general has said the prime minister does not feel the need for talks with the party because the government wants to keep it off elections.
Speaking at an Iftar in the capital on Friday, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir further alleged that the ruling Awami League is ‘tactfully’ imposing ‘one-party BAKSAL rule’.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in an interview with BBC Bangla during her recent UK visit had said she did not understand why questions were being raised, time and again, on dialogues with the BNP over the next elections.
Referring to prime minister’s statement, Fakhrul said the government wanted to keep the BNP away from elections.
He criticised Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali’s statement on the meeting between Hasina and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
The BNP leader said: “British government’s spokesperson said in a statement that discussions between the British premier and Bangladesh prime minister were held mainly on the Girl Summit. Incidentally, the issue of Jan 5 elections also came up.”
“At the meeting, the British prime minister strongly said that Jan 5 elections were not acceptable to them. He asked for holding (a fresh round of) polls promptly through talks.
“But the foreign minister blatantly lied about the meeting,” he said.
Hasina met Cameron in London on Jul 22 during her visit to the UK to attend the Girl Summit.
The foreign minister told a press conference on Thursday, after the prime minister returned: “David Cameron has said Bangladesh’s election is now a thing of past.
“We need to look to the future. The UK wants to have close relations with Bangladesh. The British government will continue to work together with Bangladesh government.”
Fakhrul said not only the BNP, several other parties including the CPB, Gono Forum and JaSaD also boycotted the elections.
“The Awami League did a farce in the name of elections. They assumed office by force,” he added.
Source: Bd news24
