New govt has no legitimacy: BNP
mgir has made the announcement of postponing the blockade,” party assistant office secretary Shamimur Rahman Shamim said in a statement. He said the alliance will announce fresh programmes soon. Earlier in the day, Alamgir in a statement said, “The non-stop nationwide blockade of the 18-party alliance will resume at 6am Sunday and it will continue until 6am Monday. However, the blockade will remain postponed from 6am Monday to Tuesday on the occasion of Eid-e-Miladunnabi.”
Meanwhile, the BNP led 18-party alliance held demonstrations across the country to protest the killings and arrests of its leaders and workers.
It, however, could not hold its planned protest rally at Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday after it was denied permission to organise such meeting by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) earlier.
Meanwhile, BNP?Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in a statement issued yesterday, said it would be prudent on the part of the government to arrange an inclusive election participated by all political parties. Otherwise, he warned, the people would realise their just democratic rights by waging united movement.
Terming the January 5 general elections as farcical and tainted, and contrary to the rules and norms of democracy, he alleged that the Election Commission (EC) has broken all of its previous subservient roles in implementing such a blue-print election.
“The Awami League has once again buried the country’s democracy by holding the elections,” he added.
Fakhrul claimed that the voter turnout was only 3-5 per cent meaning that 95 to 97 per cent voters did not cast their votes in favour of AL.
He further said 52 per cent of voters were deprived of exercising their rights of franchise and the election was not accepted to anyone.
Referring to the opinion of jurists, he said the publication of gazette confirming the official results of 10th Parliament election, administering oath to the newly elected lawmakers and the call of the President to the prime minister to form the government were totally in violation of constitution. The jurists also opined that the EC, the Speaker and the President cannot ignore the responsibility of violating the constitution, he added.
The BNP acting secretary general alleged the state has become hostage to autocratic behaviour of a person and all the institutions of the state are being destroyed just to cling to power.
He accused the AL of imposing one-party rule after 39 years in different style by deceiving the country’s people and misleading the world community.
The BNP leader also accused the ruling party terrorists of carrying out attacks on the minority people. “The government is blaming the 18-party activists for the post election violence to shift the public opinion on the farcical elections,” he said.
Fakhrul also alleged that the government had unleashed repression on 18-party leaders and activists to continue their rule.
He said about 50,000 leaders and activists of the 18-party alliance have been sent to jails, several thousands others sentenced by mobile courts and top leaders implicated in false cases.
Earlier on Thursday, M Osman Farruq adviser to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia announced that the alliance will organise protest rallies across the country, including the capital, on Saturday.
In Sirajganj, BNP led 18-party alliance and police locked in a battle when it brought out a procession at the Chamrapatti area in the morning, leaving 12 people injured.
Police and witnesses said as part of the central protest programme, district BNP brought out a procession from the rail gate area of the town. When the procession reached Chamrapatti on New Market road, police intercepted them and fired several rounds of rubber bullet and teargas canisters to disperse them.
The Narayanganj district BNP also brought out a procession protesting the killing of party men during the elections and held a rally in the afternoon.
Similar programmes were held in Noakhali, Laxmipur, Tangail, Chuadanga, and Joypurhat.
Courtesy of The Independent
