UNB, Dhaka: BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said there is no point in holding talks on the formation of the election commission since it is not possible to hold a credible election without a polls-time neutral government.
“We would like to clearly say there’s no use of playing a game in the name of election and holding a dialogue. It’s already been proven that without a polls-time neutral government, elections can never be fair. So, there’s no benefit of talks,” he said.
Speaking at a rally in Tangail, he said the current government must resign and the election commission will have to be formed under the caretaker government to hold a credible national election.
Tangail district unit BNP arranged the rally in Tangail Sadar field demanding party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s treatment abroad. The party also orgainsed five other rallies in Jashore, Bogura, Dinajpur, Brahmanbaria and Habiganj the same day to push for the same demand.
Fakhrul said the president is holding talks with political parties for the formation of the next election commission though the current government has destroyed the election system. “As long as Awami League is in power, there’ll be no use of forming the election commission,” he said.
The BNP leader said Khaleda Zia is critically ill and she has now been fighting for life in the capital’s Evercare Hospital.
He said though physicians are repeatedly saying to send the BNP chief abroad for advanced treatment to save her life, the government is not paying heed to it.
Fakhrul said they have long been observing various programmes demanding Khaleda’s treatment abroad and urging the government to let her receive advanced treatment on humanitarian grounds. “They show us law, though they’ve been in power unlawfully using the state machinery.”
He called upon the people of all walks of life to get united and wage a fierce movement to establish a pro-people government ousting the current ‘monstrous’ regime. “It’s our responsibility to protect the country, its constitution and our leader Khaleda Zia.”
In the Jashore rally, BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas said their party will not participate in any election under the current government.
“One-party elections won’t be accepted by the people of this country. BNP will prevent such an election,” he told the rally in Jashore Town Hall field.
In the Bogura rally, BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said no foreign power can protect a government when people do not want it anymore. “People are our strength and we’ve to wage the movement across the country to oust the government,” he said.
Speaking at the rally in front of the district BNP office, the BNP leader warned the government that police will not be there for them when they sense any danger.
BNP organizing secretary advocate M Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu said arrangements should be made to release Khaleda Zia and send her abroad for advanced treatment by December 30.
In the Dinajpur rally, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the government will have to bear the responsibility for the deteriorating health condition of Khaleda since she was not given any treatment during her stay in jail.
“Not only BNP, but the people of the country will not accept if anything bad happens to Khaleda Zia,” he said.
Nazrul alleged that though all the physicians say that her treatment is not possible in Bangladesh, the government is not allowing Khaleda to get advanced treatment abroad.
In fact, he said, Khaleda is being pushed towards death by not giving her any scope to receive treatment abroad.
Dinajpur district unit BNP arranged the rally in front of the party office at Jail Road of the district town.
Meanwhile, BNP leaders and activists locked into a clash with police over holding a rally in the district town, leaving an unspecified number of people, including four law enforcers, injured.
As the leaders and activists of the party and associate bodies gathered in the district town and tried to go to the rally venue, police obstructed them, triggering a clash.
Amid a chase and counter-chase, senior BNP leaders, including standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, chairperson’s adviser Zainul Abedin Farroque and organizing secretary Skahwat Hossain Jibon addressed the rally.
