Only one election to be held under caretaker govt: Fakhrul
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has reiterated their demand for the resignation of the government.
He said, “Now we have only one demand and that is the resignation of Sheikh Hasina and her government. Dissolve the parliament and handover the power to a non-partisan and neutral caretaker government.”
“The country must be run by a new parliament and that parliament will come through a new election held under a caretaker government. There will be only one election and it will be held under a caretaker government,” the BNP secretary general added.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam said this while addressing a ‘youth rally’ with the participation of the Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal and Chhatra Dal units in Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions at the premises of the Sutrapur Central High School in Bogura on Monday.
The rally was organised demanding an election under a non-partisan and neutral government and re-establishing people’s right to vote.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam said, “The country’s democracy has been robbed. The Awami League government is holding power by force using the state machineries like the Pakistani invaders. The people who demeaned the spirit of the liberation war by ruining democracy are now claiming that they are upholding the spirit of the liberation war.”
Urging the youth to join the movement to restore people’s right to vote and democracy, the BNP secretary general further said, “The country is passing through an unprecedented critical phase. The government is holding on to power forcefully by robbing the voting rights of the new voters.”
Accusing the ruling Awami League of looting people’s money in the name of mega projects, Mirza Fakhrul said, “There are some 40 million unemployed persons in the country at the moment. The government has failed to ensure jobs for the meritorious people. Instead of ensuring jobs, they are busy in money laundering and making properties abroad.”
“The government is so afraid of us that they suspended all bus services on routes leading to this venue. They (the government) did so as they knew that there would be no space in Bogura to accommodate people coming to BNP’s rally if there was no obstruction on the way.”
Referring to Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader’s remarks on the new US visa policy, Mirza Fakhrul said, “They claim they are not afraid of the new US visa policy, that they too will introduce a new visa policy. It’s hilarious. They don’t even know what they are saying.”
The BNP secretary general further said, “The government has failed to reach a water sharing treaty with India as yet. However, they have opened all the gates for India. Now the water started flowing above the danger level in Sylhet. The country is now bracing for another flood this year. The government has given us only one thing, the burden of foreign loans. They brought money from abroad in the name of mega projects and have embezzled most of it.”
Bogura district BNP president Rezaul Karim said, “Our leaders and activists from Sonatala and Sherpur upazila couldn’t rent any bus as the owners refused them due to the pressure from Aminul Islam, a leader of Bogura District Bus, Minibus and Coaches Owners Association. Some of the owners returned the money that they had taken earlier as advance payments. Our party activists suffered a lot as a result of this. Besides, bus services were called off on many routes leading to this venue to obstruct our rally.”
Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal’s central president SM Jilani presided over the event. Among the other who addressed the rally are – BNP’s central organising secretary Asadul Habib alias Dulu, M Ruhul Quddus Talukdar, Jubo Dal president Sultan Salauddin alias Tuku, Swechchhasebak Dal general secretary Rajib Ahsan, Jubo Dal acting secretary Shafiqul Islam, Chhatra Dal central president Kazi Ronukul Islam, general secretary Saif Mahmud, Bogura district BNP’s president and Bogura pourashava (municipality) mayor Rezaul Karim and general secretary Ali Azgar Talukdar.