Major opposition parties including, the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are not participating in today’s discussion hosted by the Election Commission to share their preparations for the next general election expected to be held in January next year.
According to the leaders of different political parties and alliances, ruling Awami League and its alliance partners will join the discussion at the EC headquarters Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka, while most of the opposition parties will refrain from attending the meeting.
Asked about the EC discussion, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that none of their representatives will participate in the meeting as most of their policymakers are in jail or on the run due to frequent police raids on their residences.
‘How do we consider EC’s invitation for discussion when the police have arrested several hundred of our leaders and activists?’ he asked.
On Thursday, at a virtual press conference Rizvi said, ‘What is the purpose of a dialogue when they are imprisoning our leaders and making them homeless? Our party office has remained vacant for the past five days and no staff can come. Our party members are living in a state of fear.’
He also alleged that the arrested BNP men were subjected to torture.
‘We are well aware of the agenda the subservient Election Commission will pursue. They will declare winners based on a list provided by the government. It’s clear that this is their chosen course of action,’ the BNP leader said.
Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince told New Age that his party and other partners of the Left Democratic Alliance are not either joining the EC discussion.
‘We are agitating for an election-time supervisory government. The EC invites us to discuss about their preparations for the next election under the existing system, so we have no interest in it,’ he said.
He also urged the EC to ask the ruling Awami League to call a dialogue to set the method of the election-time neutral administration.
Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Haque told New Age that as with the other political parties running the anti-government movement, his party also will not attend the EC discussion.
Bangladesh Jatiya Party chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partha told New Age that his party would not join the discussion as he thinks ensuring the fall of the Awami League government is the principal call of the time for all the democratic forces.
Krishak Sramik Janata League secretary general Habibur Rahman Talukdar also confirmed New Age that his party is not participating in today’s EC’s meeting, saying that it has a pre-scheduled programme.
Bangladesh Muslim League secretary general Kazi Abul Khair said that his party decided not to join the discussion organised by the EC.
Jatiya Party secretary general Mujibul Haque said that a two-member delegation of his party will join the discussion today.
Earlier on Wednesday, the EC issued letters to 44 registered political parties, including the main opposition BNP and ruling Awami League, inviting them to participate in the discussion on general issues to cover, among others, the progress of EC’s preparations for the next general election.
The EC letter mentioned that due to the completion of the term of the parliament, there is an obligation to hold the 12th parliamentary polls between October 31 and January 28. The Election Commission has organised a discussion with the registered political parties on the overall issues including the progress of preparations for holding the parliamentary elections.
The letter requested the political parties to send the president and general secretary or two nominated representatives to the discussion.
On Thursday, an EC employee left an invitation letter addressed to the BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on a chair at the gate of the party’s Naya Paltan central office which remains sealed following a deadly clash during a grand rally it was holding on October 28.
Following the incident, most BNP senior leaders were on the run with secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee members Mirza Abbas and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury being arrested.
At least 42 cases have been filed against the party leaders after the BNP grand rally was marred by clashes in Dhaka.
New Age
