She asks 18-party men to form committees at local level
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday asked leaders and activists of the BNP-led opposition alliance to immediately constitute polling centre-based action committees to resist general elections if Awami League wanted to hold unilateral polls.
She gave the instruction while addressing a large public meeting at Aliya Madrassah Maidan in Sylhet city organised by the local unit of the BNP-led ‘18-party’ alliance.
Khaleda, also leader of the opposition, cautioned her arch rival prime minister Sheikh Hasina that movement would start on October 25 if the government did not accept her demand by October 24for the elections under a ‘non-party’ government.
She said the tenure of the incumbent government would expire on October 24.
Khaleda said her party and its allies would not go for movement if the ruling party brought a bill on a ‘non-party’ government in the current session of parliament and that they did not have objection to the government completing its term.
The BNP chairperson iterated that the polls would not be free and fair if it was held under Sheikh Hasina and Awami League.
She said administration, judiciary and all government agencies would be compelled to go by the directives of Sheikh Hasina if election was held under her.
She categorically said that elections would not be allowed under Hasina and her party.
Recalling the dispute over who should be the head of the caretaker government in 2007, Khaleda said if the AL had accepted polls in January 2007 under KM Hasan according the constitution, the BNP would now accept elections under the party in power.
She said KM Hasan was not a man of BNP but was a chief justice while Sheikh Hasina was the president of Awami League. So how can BNP accept elections under her, she asked.
‘You can even trust snakes, but not the Awami League,’ she told the rally.
Khaleda reiterated that the incumbent Election Commission was formed with the people chosen by the government and again branded it ‘spineless’ being totally loyal to the government.
She said the present EC could not hold fair and neutral elections.
The BNP chief asked people to question Hasina why she had amended the constitution and what was the necessity of it.
Khaleda said BNP had no objection to following the Supreme Court verdict on holding general elections for next two terms under non-party caretaker government.
Khaleda said the current government would stay in power for ‘only a few more days’ till October 24 and it would have no power from October 25.
On the inauguration of the Rampal power plant project, the BNP chairperson reiterated that a coal-fired power plant would not be allowed in Rampal saying that it would remain confined to foundation laying.
Khaleda said the people of India did not allow setting up of the coal-fired power plant in their country which prompted India to rush to Bangladesh to set up the plant.
She said the impact of the power plant on the biodiversity of Sundarban would be catastrophic.
She said BNP wanted good relations with all friendly countries, including the neigbouring country.
Without naming India, she said the ‘neighboring country’ would be more benefited if it maintained relations with the BNP and its allies.
About the disappearance of Ilias Ali, the BNP chief said Ilias was made a victim of ‘enforced disappearance’ as he had protested against the Indian move to construct a hydro-electric plant at Tipaimukh on the common river Barak. If the dam is built there, it would adversely impact environment and dry up rivers in Sylhet.
She demanded immediate return of Ilias Ali to the BNP and his family.
Tahsina Rushdir Luna, wife of Ilias Ali, told the rally that she had met with the prime minister seeking cooperation to return her husband but she did not get any cooperation.
On the Pilkhana carnage, Khaleda said not a single bullet was spent to save the army officers during the mutiny while ‘1,55,000 bullets were fired’ to flush Hefajat-e-Islam men out of Shapla Square on May 5 ‘that killed many ulema’.
She refuted the prime minister’s allegations that minorities would be attacked and militancy would stage a comeback if the BNP-led 18-party alliance came to power.
A large number of leaders, activists and supporters of BNP and its allies from four districts of greater Sylhet attended the rally braving inclement weather.
Before arriving at the venue, at 3:00pm, Khaleda Zia offered prayer at the graveside of Hazrat Shahjalal in the city.
Presided over by Sylhet city BNP president MA Haque the public meeting was also addressed, among others, by BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Rafiqul Islam Mia, Mirza Abbas, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Selima Rahman, Jamaat-e-Islam central working committee member Shamsul Islam, LDP chairman Oli Ahmed, BJP chairman Andalib Rahman Partha, Khelafat Majlish ameer Mohammad Ishaq, IOJ chairman Abdul Latif Nezami, JAGPA president Shafiul Alam Prodhan and Kalyan Party chairman Syed M Ibrahim.
-With New Age input
