Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has decided to simultaneously continue its movement for restoration of a caretaker government and launch its election campaign for the next national poll scheduled to be held by January next year. The party will kick off its formal election campaign at a public meeting at Narsingdi on September 8. Opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will address the meeting which will be organized by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, central leaders of the party said.
They told The Independent that BNP leadership has decided to carry on both activities – election campaign and the ongoing movement – in order to face any eventuality. “If the government agrees to our demand for CG, we will go straight to the national election,” BNP leader Moudud Ahmed said adding that they are taking that preparation already.
However, if the government fails to accept the long-standing demand of the opposition for a non-party and neutral caretaker government for overseeing the next national election, the BNP stalwart said that no question arises for his party to participate in the election no matter, however, it is held under the present government.
Sources said that the opposition BNP decided to launch its election campaign being influenced by the ruling Awami League and its coalition partners. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently addressed some public meetings in different parts of the country with an appeal to the people to vote for boat again in the next election and re-elect her party.
Kicking off its formal election campaign at Narsingdi on September 8, BNP and its other partners of the 18-party political grouping will hold similar public meetings in six major cities including Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal, Khulna and Sylhet. The central committee of BNP has already instructed its district organizations to take all-out preparations to make these public meetings a success.
Meanwhile, as many as 56 teams set up by BNP with the central leaders of the organizations are still continuing their tours of 75 organizational districts in the country. The teams were formed to mitigate internal feuds, search for possible candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections and mobilize public opinions in favor of their ongoing movement.
BNP insiders said that grassroots-level leaders and workers of the party expressed their opinions against taking part in the coming election under the Awami League-led grand alliance government under any circumstances. They, however, pressed the central leaders for simultaneously taking preparation for the poll and current movement for the CG.
Another BNP stalwart Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah, who is also a member of BNP’s powerful standing committee said they are going to the people as they need their support for both the ongoing movement for the restoration of the
caretaker government and next general election in the country. “BNP is always prepared to take part in the election and keeping that in view we are embarking on our twin-track political programme,” Miah added.
-With The Independent input
