The Awami League has decided that its chief Sheikh Hasina will remain the Prime Minister during the general election, rejecting the Opposition’s demand for her resignation.
The ruling party’s Central Working Committee has also decided to go by Election Commission’s roadmap to the Jan 5 balloting.
Wednesday’s decision came amid the BNP-led alliance’s call for Hasina to step down and make way for a ‘non-party’ caretaker government to supervise the parliamentary polls.
“The main resolution of today’s (Wednesday’s) meeting is that election will take place,” Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said.
“A free and fair election will be held under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership,” he added.
“The Awami League will not accept any deviation from the schedule that the Election Commission has announced,” Ashraf categorically stated.
His comment came amid the Opposition’s threats to wage ‘tougher’ movements after the end of its six-day blockade across Bangladesh.
On Wednesday, visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh met both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader. She said New Delhi wanted to see a fair election in Bangladesh with as “as many parties as possible” taking part in it.
Sheikh Hasina had convened the ’emergency meeting’ after HM Ershad’s Jatiya Party announced its boycott of the polls.
Minutes before the meeting, Ershad asked his party leaders to step down from the ‘all-party’ interim government. The BNP has welcomed his call.
Ashraf urged journalists to ‘wait a bit longer’ when asked about the Jatiya Party’s decision to stay away from elections.
“We are waiting too… will speak on it at the right time,” he said.
Fifteen registered parties, including the Jatiya Party, out of 44 had submitted nominations as per the election schedule.
“There’s no alternative to elections for the development of democracy,” Ashraf said.
“Those who have moved away from polls citing various reasons can never be the ‘friends of democracy’,” he said in an oblique remark to Ershad and the BNP.
Opposition 18-Party alliance has announced to thwart ‘unilateral’ polls.
Ashraf said BNP chief Khaleda Zia would not be able to prevent the parliamentary elections by means of killing, terrorism and clamping shutdowns.
He breathed fire over Communist Party of Bangladesh’s (CPB) ‘double standards’.
“The CPB not only contested polls under an autocrat but also encouraged others to take part. What has come over them this time?”
The party had contested the 1986 elections as a constituent of the Awami League-led Eight-Party alliance.
However, this time the CPB claims the election would not be ‘acceptable’ if all parties including the BNP do not join it.
“There’s no logic for the BNP and the Left party to stay away from the election. The incumbent government is not that of Ershad’s or Ziaur Rahman’s or Ayub Khan’s (military autocrats).
“This government had won two-thirds majority,” said the Awami League spokesperson.
He said his party had gone to elections in the Pakistan era in 1954, 1962, and 1966, and under BNP founder Ziaur Rahman in 1979.”It is not possible to win elections under a dictator. Still, we contested the polls to reach out the people’s words,” Ashraf said.
On the statements by various Western nations on Bangladesh’s election, he said, “Representatives from various countries meet and place their suggestions.
“We tell them that we want to hold elections in the same way it is done in their countries.”
He dubbed the Opposition’s ongoing movement as ‘acts of extremism’.
“How can that party enforce shutdown whose chief does not come down on the streets after giving out lockdown calls!” he chided.
Source: Bd news24