BNP Standing Committee member Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain has said any dealy in election will create the ground for return of autocrats.
The current interim government and all involved with it will have to bear the responsibility if that happens, he added.
The BNP leader made the remarks while briefing journalists in front Jamuna after meeting the interim government’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, at his residence on Saturday evening.
“If the election is delayed under any pretext, we think the ground for return of the autocrats will be prepared. The responsibility for this will fall on the current government and those associated with it," said the BNP leader.
He further stated that the people of Bangladesh believe the primary responsibility of the interim government is to complete the transition to democracy swiftly through a free and fair election.
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said that the BNP has consistently demanded a clear national electoral roadmap from the beginning. To ensure a fair, neutral, and free election, the Advisory Council must be restructured, removing controversial advisers in order to maintain the government's impartiality.
He added that BNP leaders and activists have been most severely affected—politically, personally, and in their family lives. Therefore, it is BNP that most strongly demands trial of the Awami League. If the justice process remains incomplete, BNP will ensure accountability through an independent judiciary if it comes to power.
The BNP leader also emphasised that they never demanded the resignation of the Chief Adviser. Rather, BNP has been cooperating fully with the government since day one.
Standing Committee members Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Salahuddin Ahmed were other members of the BNP delegation.
Ali Riaz, Vice President of the National Consensus Commission, and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, Local Government Adviser, were also present at the meeting.