AL wants to cling to power till 2041: Fakhrul

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Awami League now dreams of clinging to power till 2041 by holding an election in same fashion as they did in 2014 and 2018.

People will, however, would not let it happen this time and defeat them by creating a mass movement.

Fakhrul said this while speaking at a human chain event of BNP in front of its central office in Naya Paltan on Saturday afternoon.

To press home their 10-point demand, BNP and several other anti-government parties and alliances hold human chain event in every district and city of the country simultaneously from 11:00am to 12 noon. The human chain in Dhaka was stretched along 24 kilometer roads from Jatrabari to Tongi’s Abdullahpur.

Mirza Fakhrul spoke as chief guest in the event in Naya Paltan while standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in front of Suvastu Nazar Valley market in Uttara.

Fakhrul said this government has destroyed all the institutions and the constitution of the country in a planned way. They repealed caretaker system from the constitution to ensure one-party rule in the country by holding election under a partisan government.  

Fakhrul said the ruling Awami League wants to stay in power for good as it considers this country as their jamindari and all people as their subjects.

The BNP leader blamed negligence of concerned government authorities for recent blasts in Dhaka and Chattogram.

He reiterates that BNP would not take part in any election held under this government and election commission.

“We have started our movement. We’ve rolled out 10 points clearly stating that this government must go and the parliament dissolved. A caretaker government has to be formed that will constitute a new election commission,” Fakhrul said.

“Ministers  nowadays say that the system (caretaker government) has been buried. Caretaker governments oversaw four national elections which were accepted by all. But this government has arranged election under a partisan government only to cling to power,”  Fakhrul said.

You (AL), along with Jamaat and Jatiya Party, called hartal (strike) for 173 days to press home the demand for caretaker government. You killed 11 people by torching a bus by gun powder in front of Sheraton Hotel. Now you say that you guard us to stop our arson attack. You unleashed arson attack for 173 days back then. You killed people beating by logi-boitha (sticks and oars).”

The BNP leader blamed the government for attack on Ahmadiyya community's annual gatherings in Panchagarh.

“They (government) gave permission and turned deaf ear to the communal attack in Panchagarh and later arrested 181 BNP leaders-activists over the incident. We strongly protest this,” Fakhrul said.

He also blasted the government for unequal power purchase deal with Indian conglomerate Adani Power terming it as anti-state.

He said the deal has raised question globally and maintained that the government inked it to ‘bribe’ India to stay in power.

Speaking as special guest, standing committee member Mirza Abbas asked why taka 110 million of Dutch Bangla Bank was snatched in broad daylight.

Dhaka south AL’s coordinator Abdus Salam presided over the human chain attended by several thousand BNP leaders-activists.