BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said in no uncertain terms that the onus of holding talks lay on the government, and it must come forward and take all the initiatives to hold dialogue with the opposition party to resolve the prevailing political stalemate over the non-party caretaker government (CG) issue. The current political impasse will be settled on the streets if the government moves ahead unilaterally and without attaining a consensus over the CG issue, he added.
“There is still enough time to reach a consensus over the poll-time non-party CG administration. The government should come forward as it is on the driving seat. If it fails, the ruling Awami League will be held responsible for any untoward incident in future,” he told responding to a query.
Alamgir, who is also the opposition spokesperson, was addressing a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan central office on the last day of the 60-hour nationwide hartal on Wednesday. “We sent a letter to the government to sit for a dialogue over the poll-time non-party CG issue but it did not respond yet. It is the last moment of the government and we hope good sense will prevail on it,” he added.
He alleged that the government has set up the Election Commission (EC) and judiciary according to its own choice ahead of the upcoming national poll. The EC has not announced the poll schedule while the government is not making it clear about the formation of the poll-time administration.
It also did not say when the parliament will be dissolved, he added.“The government is playing a hide-and-seek game to confound the people and its only aim is to hold a one-party parliamentary poll,” he said.
The Prime Minister has been acting in connivance with some of her close associates to prepare a ground for politics of confrontation, he said. The BNP believes in the changeover of power through election but the ruling Awami League has destroyed its scope, he said.
The government has also taken away the democratic rights to hold rallies and processions by imposing restriction on political activities, he added.
“We have been forced to hold hartal programmes as we have no other alternative to force the government to accept our demand,” he told in reply to a query.
When asked about the justification of the hartal programmes, Alamgir said, “People will give their verdict in the general poll if they do not support our anti-government stir.”
He slammed the government’s attempt to form the all-party poll-time interim government saying that no one can remain in power ignoring the people’s support.
Talking about the partisan activities of the EC, he said the constitutional body is hatching conspiracy against the BNP. If the EC goes ahead and holds the general poll without resolving the current impasse, it will have to pay a price, he warned.
Responding to another query, he said the next course of action programme to meet the CG restoration demand will be announced soon.
Alamgir also slammed Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed, Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon and speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury for their double-standard in parliament over the non-party CG issue. The nation is now in a deep crisis for their role over the CG issue, he said.
He blamed the government for indulging in violence to thwart the nationwide hartal, and said at least 22 pro-hartal activists were killed during the nationwide hartal from October 25. About 13,123 party leaders and activists were critically injured because of police assaults, he said.
Around 43,337 people have been arrested from different parts of the country while the police filed several cases implicating 1,08,100 people in connection with criminals offences, he said.
“We condemn the government for its atrocities and demand immediate and unconditional release of our party leaders and workers,” he said.
BNP vice chairman Selima Rahman, member secretary of Dhaka city unit BNP Abdus Salam, joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and others were present at the press conference.
-With The Independent input
