The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Friday said it never supported banning of any political party rather favoured facing a rival by political means.
BNP’s statement came on the heels of the High Court verdict that declared illegal and unconstitutional the registration of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, its key ally.Two senior leaders of BNP gave the views at separate programmes in the capital on Friday.
The party warned that the opposition would go for a ‘non-stop’ general strike and road-rail blockades in October to compel the government to concede to the demand for an election-time ‘non-party’ government.
Addressing a protest rally at the National Press Club, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said BNP never supported banning of any political party.
Dhaka city BNP organised the rally in protest against the killing of ward 58 joint convener Jasim Uddin. Jasim was shot dead at Hazaribagh in the old town of Dhaka by unidentified assailants on July 29.
Without naming Jamaat, Fakhrul said he would not say anything about the verdict of the High Court as the matter was sub-judice.
BNP did not make any instant reaction on Thursday to the HC verdict that declared illegal the decision of the Election Commission to register Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party.
Fakhrul said the government had started eliminating the opposition in a bid to hold a ‘one-party election’. He said the government wanted to hold ‘one-sided polls’ keeping the BNP away to reintroduce BKSAL rule.
He accused the Election Commission of hatching conspiracies to curtail its own power.
Fakhrul alleged that the ruling party men had siphoned off thousands of crores of Taka abroad. ‘They are purchasing houses in Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and other countries,’ he said.
Presided over by city BNP convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka, the rally was also addressed, among others, by BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, joint secretary general Barkatullah Bulu, Swechchhasebak Dal president Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Mohila Dal general secretary Shirin Sultana and Juba Dal senior vice-president Abdus Salam Azad.
Addressing another discussion at the National Press Club on the day, BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed said they would not stage ‘violent agitations with oars and sticks’ that the Awami League had done in 2006.
He said BNP would lay siege, enforce road-railway blockades and ‘non-stop’ hartal in October to ‘immobilise’ the country and ‘force’ the government to accept their demand for holding the next polls under a non-party government.
The BNP leader cautioned that no elections would be allowed in Bangladesh under a partisan government.
Swadesh Mancha organised the discussion at the National Press Club on restoration of non-party caretaker government.
Moudud said the current anti-government movement would be taken into a ‘final stage’ within two months after the Eid to ‘oust’ the government.
The BNP standing committee member, however, said they still wanted an ‘understanding’ and would ‘extend cooperation’ for forming an election-time ‘non-party’ government through discussions.
He said the BNP preferred solution of the present political crisis through ‘understanding’ and ‘dialogue’.
-With New Age input
