No question of participating in polls with AL in power: Fakhrul

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said they would not take part in any discussion regarding the next general election as long as the Awami League government does not step down.

“Our stance is clear about the next election. There is no question of taking part in next general election if Awami League doesn’t step down handing over power to a completely neutral government. We would not even go to polls if Sheikh Hasina remains in power,” the BNP leader said while speaking at a press conference at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office on Sunday afternoon.

The press conference was organised protesting the attack on a Eid reunion programme of BNP standing committee’s senior member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in Cumilla on Saturday.

The BNP alleged that ruling Awami League men carried out the attack.

Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader said on Saturday following the party’s central executive committee’s meeting that the opposition parties would be allowed to carry out demonstrations. Some other leaders of ruling party also said the next election would not be acceptable without BNP’s participation.

Fakhrul made the comment as his attention was drawn on the matter.

“Awami League never keeps it word. This is their intrinsic characteristic. They cheated the people from the very beginning. They have being cheating since the country's independence. They would speak like gentlemen, they speak of democracy but they don’t even allow holding a milad mahfil (a religious congregation) or Eid reunion let alone allow holding demonstrations,” Fakhrul complained.

Fakhrul said AL men attacked Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain without any provocation when he was heading towards Titas upazila after exchanging Eid greetings with people in Daudkandi.

He demanded arrest of those who attacked the senior BNP leader.

When asked about the prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s comment about holding next election through Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), Fakhrul said, “The question of EVM comes later. In the first place we won’t even participate in polls with Sheikh Hasina’s government in power.”

Terming the decision to hike the price of soyabean oil inhuman, Fakhrul blamed the government’s corruption for it.

The government increased price of per litre soyabean oil by Tk 38 at one go to Tk 198 yet people cannot avail of the edible oil spending as much as Tk 220, the BNP leader said.