BNP standing committee member MK Anwar. Star file photo
BNP standing committee member MK Anwar has said the prime minister did not mention who will head the polls-time government.
“BNP will not join the election keeping Sheikh Hasina as the prime minister or head of the interim government,” he added in his immediate reaction to the PM’s address to the nation Friday evening.
When contacted, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir denied giving any instant reaction and said they will later come up with a formal reaction after scrutinising the speech.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her televised address proposed formation of a polls-time cabinet and asked the opposition to name from their lawmakers for their inclusion in the cabinet. She however did not mention who is to head the interim government.
Eminent rights activist Sultana Kamal sees the PM’s proposal as a positive sign for initiating a dialogue over formation of polls-time government.
“The prime minister’s call has opened a new door for holding the dialogue. Now the opposition should response to the call and sit across the table,” she told The Daily Star.
“There may be some disagreements between the two parties (BNP and AL). I think these disagreements can be resolved through a dialogue,” added Sultana Kamal, also a former adviser to a caretaker government.
Another former adviser to a caretaker government, Akbar Ali Khan, termed the PM’s address “pre-election political speech”.
“But there are some constructive elements in the speech. For example, she (PM) has called for political consensus, dialogue and others. Now, BNP should think whether it can do something on the basis of these constructive elements to avert violence,” he added.
Source: The Daily Star
