A senior BNP leader on Thursday claimed people have expressed ‘no confidence’ in the Awami League led incumbent government by ‘turning up’ in huge numbers during their ‘mass contact’ campaign on Wednesday.
Khaleda Zia, the leader of the BNP-led 18-Party alliance, addressed five street rallies during the Wednesday campaign to garner support in favour of their demand for a non-partisan caretaker arrangement to supervise the next general elections.
The rallies were held in the capital’s Gabtoli, Karwan Bazar, Jatrabari, Basabo and Badda.
“They (government) have upset the people by failing to govern the country in all spheres. The people have showed their no confidence in the government by blocking the streets all over the capital on Wednesday,” Standing Committee member Tariqul Islam said during a discussion.
He claimed the popularity of the government, which came to office in 2008 with around two thirds majority, has declined sharply — so it, he alleged, trying to stay in power by fixing the elections that it wants to hold under its stewardship.
“We have to prevent that from happening,” Islam said.
After winding up the Wednesday rallies at Gabtoli, Khaleda Zia had urged the government to table a bill in Parliament for reinstalling the non-partisan caretaker arrangement and warned that the anti-government movement will continue until the demand is agreed to.
She said they wanted to pass the bill after comprehensive discussions.
“I am not announcing any programme today, will call it later. The movement will intensify unless our demand for a non-partisan caretaker government is met,” she had warned.
“The government thinks they will be able to hold a single party election, framing our the leaders and activists in false cases,” Tariqul Islam said on Thursday.
He alleged the government has implicated around 25,000 opposition supporters in ‘false cases’ and issued warrants of arrest against at least 4,000 during the last four years.
Source: Bd News24