Prime minister and ruling Awami League president Sheikh Hasina assured 14-party leaders that she would talk to opposition leader and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia over telephone to resolve the ongoing crisis over the system of the poll-time government. She gave the assurance when some leaders of the AL-led 14-party Alliance urged her to resolve the crisis through dialogue. They made the request during a meeting with the prime minister at her official residence Ganobhaban in the capital on Wednesday.
Addressing the meeting Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers Party noted that if the main opposition BNP does not take part in the next general election that will not be credible, meeting sources said.
Talking to The Independent JSD leader Sharif Nurul Ambia said that their party stressed the need for holding a national dialogue to ensure a participatory election.
Many in the meeting suggested that while talking to the opposition leader the prime minister may argue in defence of her proposal for forming an all-party poll-time government.
At the meeting the alliance partners agreed to take part in the next election under the banner of the 14-party Alliance.
Earlier, delivering her introductory speech, the Prime minister said that by staging walkout from the parliament, the opposition proved that they were not sincere in resolving the crisis through discussion. Terming the opposition leader’s proposal on poll-time government ‘unrealistic’, she said, they returned to the House, placed their proposal but walked out without listening to our opinion, she said in her introductory speech.
At the meeting, the prime minister said views-exchange meetings are on with different political parties as per her proposal to form an all-party polls-time cabinet.
“After having had discussions with all political parties, I’ll request the President to take his action over the next general election,” she said.
-With The Independent input
