Former Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Nazmul Huda on Friday launched a new political party called Bangladesh Nationalist Front terming it an ‘alternative’ to Awami League and BNP and asking all ‘nationalist forces’ to unite to consolidate independence and sovereignty.
Huda, who recently resigned from BNP as vice-chairman, named his new party at an iftar party at a city hotel. He is the convener of BNF while Abul Kalam Azad is the coordinator.
Huda said he felt it necessary to constitute a ‘nationalist front’ as a political party following what he called failures of the two major political parties, Awami League and BNP, to ensure political stability and play a responsible role in governing the country.
He alleged that politics of vendetta was now prevailing in the country. People want to see an end to the politics of chaos and confrontation.
About the objectives of his new party, Huda, also former communications minister of the previous BNP government, said the issue of ‘non-party’ caretaker government or ‘partisan’ government was ‘totally irrelevant’ to holding of free and fair national elections.
He said what was necessary was transparency in the Election Commission’s activities, preparing voters’ roll and its update and casting and counting of votes. An Election Commission acceptable to all parties is enough to hold free and fair polls, he said.
‘There is no need to form an election-time government,’ he said adding that the president could oversee the routine work of the government during the short period of time.
The BNF chief said his party’s thoughts on voters’ roll update, vote casting, transparency in vote counting and announcing the election results would be placed before the nation.
Huda dismissed as rumours the allegation that the BNF had been formed at the advice of a certain quarter. Many became collaborators of many things, he said.
When his attention was drawn to some BNP leaders’ allegation that conspiracies were on to split the BNP, Huda said it would not be his fault if BNP broke up due to the practice of ‘confrontational politics’.
‘Why BNP should break up,’ he posed a counter question.
Huda said he wanted to build up a consensus among the political parties on putting an end to the politics of hartal, attack on vehicles, anarchy, killings and forced disappearances.
The new party, he said, wanted to carry out efforts to create an atmosphere of discussion and understanding among political parties to consolidate independence and sovereignty. On the trial of war criminals, he said he wanted trial of real war criminals.
In June this year Huda announced his resignation from the BNP and sent the resignation letter to the party chairperson.
When approached for comments on Huda’s new party, BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed told New Age it did not merit comments.
Huda said his party would field candidates in all 300 constituencies in the next parliamentary polls.
The new party will have a 21-member steering committee and a 101-member national executive committee.
Asked whether BNF would remain in the current anti-government movement, Huda said they would not join any movement at the moment.
-With New Age input
