Special Correspondent
The BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Wednesday expressed her determination to carry forward the movement to restore democracy and people’s franchise by overthrowing the incumbent ‘non-representative’ government.
Khaleda made the announcement in a crowed news conference at the Westin Hotel on Wednesday. It was her first news conference after the ‘one-sided elections’ of January 5 which the BNP-led opposition alliance and other political parties boycotted.
She urged the government to immediately take initiatives for a dialogue towards the holding of free, fair and inclusive general elections to restore peace and stability to the country.
Khaleda announced rallies and processions across the country for January 20 to congratulate people on their staging a ‘silent revolution’ on January 5 against the snatching of their franchise and the killing of democracy by the government.
The alliance the BNP leads will hold rallies and processions on January 20 in divisional, district and upazila headquarters; a central rally will be held in Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital Dhaka.
Khaleda also said that ‘demonstrations day’ would be observed on January 29 across the country with black flag processions in protest against the killing of democracy and the snatching people’s voting rights.
The day will coincide with the sitting of the first session of the 10th parliament on January 29. Khaleda and her party leaders will visit different parts of the country.
Khaleda said that the BNP would observe the birth anniversary of the late president Ziaur Rahman, also founder of the BNP, on January 18.
Asked about the prime minister’s comment that the BNP lost both ways by boycotting the January 5 elections, she said ‘We have not lost. It is they [the Awami League] who have lost.’
Asked whether the opposition’s course of violent movement was wrong as she was announcing non-violent programmes, Khaleda said that the BNP had never carried out any violence and the BNP’s movement had always been pro-people and correct.
She said that the party was still on the correct path of movement and the BNP never believed in violence.
Asked for her comments about some powerful foreign countries, including a neighbouring country, that sided with the ruling party while some other powerful foreign countries were backing the BNP, Khaleda said that her party wanted good and friendly relations with all.
She said that the BNP did not want any interference of anyone into internal matters of Bangladesh and said that Bangladesh is an independent and sovereign country. She said that people were sources of all power and they wanted to resolve all problems along with people.
As for government plea that the BNP would need to sever ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami, a key partner in the BNP-led alliance, she did not give a clear answer.
She said that Jamaat was a political party and that the Awami League along with Jamaat had taken part in general elections in 1986 under Ershad in breach of an agreement of not joining the elections. She said that the BNP had not joined elections then.
Khaleda said that the Awami League along with Jamaat and the Jatiya Party had first launched a movement for a non-party, caretaker government. She said that they (the Awami League) remained with them (Jamaat).
In reply to another question, she said that they were yet to get any offer for a dialogue. The BNP has never been against dialogues and it still thinks that discussions are the solution.
The BNP chief said that there was no alternative to free, fair, neutral and inclusive elections under a non-party government.
She said that it was not possible to restore peace, stability and normalcy to the country without such elections. ‘I again call for immediate initiatives for a dialogue to this end,’ she said.
Khaleda put forth some conditions to create an atmosphere for dialogues and a consensus.
The conditions are an immediate release of all political leaders and activists and the withdrawal of false cases filed against them, an end to arrests of, repression on, attack on and prosecution of alliance leaders and activists, a scope for normal activities by opening all offices of the opposition, including the central BNP office, the withdrawal of restrictions on peaceful and constitutional politics by not obstructing and attacking rallies, processions and publicity and the freedom of expression by opening all media houses that have been closed.
She said that people were carrying out the movement for democracy and the re-establishment of people’s voting rights. She said that alongside the movement, the opposition’s call for a dialogue to resolve the crisis would continue.
Khaleda said that the present parliament was without people’s representation and people had not given the government any approval to govern the country. This government is illegal, she said adding that an illegal government had no responsibility towards people and ‘the continuation of such government was dangerous.’
She urged a consensus and dialogues to establish a democratic and people’s government reflecting people aspiration by overthrowing ‘the dangerous government.’
Khaleda said that attacks had begun on religious minorities, especially on the Hindu communities, to keep the attention of people at home and outside away from the ‘farcical elections.’
She said that the opposition were repeatedly giving alert to such attacks but ‘brutal and heinous attacks took place in many places at the signal of the government amid an inactive role of the administration and law enforcers.’
She alleged that soon after the attacks, propaganda was carried out blaming the opposition for the attacks; and repression on BNP-led alliance leaders and activists increased.
Referring to statements of victims and media reports, she said that ruling party men were involved in the attacks. The BNP chief urged her party leaders, activists and citizens to build up resistance in areas of religious minorities against sectarian attacks.
She put out a call for no political gains cashing in on such planned attacks.
She also called for punishment of the people responsible for the attacks through a neutral investigation, compensation for the victims and appropriate steps to check the recurrence of such incidents.
The BNP chairperson gave a warning that steps would, otherwise, be taken in the future to identify all criminals and to punish them after a judicial investigation, if required, involving the UN human rights organisation.
Khaleda again gave an assurance that they would never repeat or follow the misdeeds of the Awami League and said that democracy would be restored and people would establish their government through votes.
The BNP chairperson presented a brief outline of programmes — building up national unity and undivided national entity with people of all religions, a solid democratic system of governing the state and setting out the permanent framework for a peaceful transfer of power through fair, neutral and inclusive elections.
The outline also includes curbing terrorism, militancy and sectarianism with an iron hand, stopping corruption, politicisation and nepotism, suitable reforms in the electoral system, representation of all classes and professionals in the parliament and steps to ensure the participation of eligible and skilled citizens in the parliament, giving appropriate importance and dignity to the opposition through a policy of forgiveness and openness.
Khaleda said that the state power had been prolonged by killing democracy through manipulation, criminal activities, acts of sabotage and propaganda. She said that such tactics would soon fall flat and a people’s government would be established through votes.
The BNP chairperson in her speech that continued for half an hour narrated the one-sided elections, the prime minister’s comment about the elections, subservient role of the Election Commission and repression on the opposition.
Khaleda claimed that nearly 22,000 people had been killed in the past five years, 22 leaders and activists of the opposition and ordinary people had been killed in shooting on the polling day on January 5 and about 200 people had been killed after the announcement of elections schedule.
Leaders of the BNP and its allies, including BNP leaders RA Gani, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mahbubur Rahman, Sarwari Rahman, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Redwanullah Shahidi, Islami Oikya Jote chairman Abdul Latif Nezami, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party president Shafiul Alam Prodhan, BJP chairman Andalib Rahman Partha and Labour Party chairman Mustafizur Rahman Iran attended the news conference.
The acting BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was absent.
Source: Weekly Holiday
