Govt will be defeated soundly if people can cast their votes: Mosharraf

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said ruling Awami League will be blown away if people can cast their own votes.

He said Rangpur City Corporation election has testified that the government will defeated soundly if a free and fair election is held.

Mosharraf said this while speaking at a brief rally before the party’s mass procession from the city’s Naya Paltan to Moghbazar on Friday.

Pointing out the results of Rangpur city election where the ruling party candidate was handed a massive defeat, the BNP leader said, “This government speaks boastfully. But you have seen that in an election (Rangpur) that the boat candidate even lost his security deposit. This was actually a signal to the government. This is the true situation of Bangladesh now. In fact, this government nears its end.”

Thousands of BNP men started to gather at Naya Paltan’s VIP road before Juma prayer. The attendees at one point spilled from Kakrail intersection to Fakirapul Bazar. Although the procession ended at Moghbazar, the leaders-activists went back to Naya Paltan using the same route.

Indicating to remarks of some ruling party leaders and ministers, the senior BNP leader said, “Some people say people are not with us. I would ask the government, the intelligence agencies to look at today’s mass procession. This mass procession gives an indication that it is these people who would oust you through a mass-upheaval in coming days.”

Addressing the incumbent government, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said, “You have said that you will guard every neighborhood. You have done it, but could not keep the people at home.”

The BNP leader said this mass procession is the first programme of the 10-point movement. As many as 33 parties along with some other democratic, patriotic individuals and groups have united in its support and held mass processions in the capital. 

He also noted that the entire 10-point demand can be expressed in a single sentence that the failure, corrupt and plunderer government must go. 

Around 24,000 BNP leaders and activists are now languishing in jail, but that failed to stop their fellow partymen. They (government) thought that the BNP’s 10-December rally would come unstuck if the secretary general and other central leaders were arrested. But the thought did not come true. 

“Not only our leaders and activists, but also the masses have descended the streets, no matter how much torture, how many arrests they make. They (masses) can no longer be subdued,” he told the gathering.   

Raising allegations of corruption and looting against the government, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said they (government) destroyed the economy by committing mega corruption in the name of mega projects and laundering money abroad. 

He pointed out the woes in the business sector and said many banks have no liquidity, dollar reserves have depleted, and importers are failing to open LCs. The government is failing to repay the loans that they had taken throughout the last 14 years.  The economy is on the brink of collapse.

Khandaker Mosharraf said “Today people have realised that those who have killed democracy will not return it. Those who have destroyed the economy will not be able to repair it. Those who have made the judiciary politicalised will not be able to make it free. They will not be able to bring equilibrium in the society and form a peaceful society in the country.”

The BNP leader said to the incumbent government that "No autocratic government leaves power by itself. They will have to be thrown out. No autocrats can sustain in power for a long time. Ayub Khan and Ershad (HM Ershad, the founder of Jatiya Party) couldn’t make it. Mahinda Rajapaksha family ruled Sri Lanka for 18 years. They also had to leave power when people took to the street."

Announcing the mass sit-in in all divisional cities, including Dhaka, on 11 January, Khandaker Mosharraf urged all alliances to join the simultaneous movement. "You will utter the second warning of government ouster from this mass sit-in."     

Earlier on Friday afternoon, a rally was held in front of the BNP office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka.

Then a mass procession was brought out with thousands of leaders and activists at 3:30pm that ended reaching Moghbazar intersection at 4:10pm, marching to Kakrail, Shantinagar and Malibagh.