Leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday urged the interim government to arrange the national election soon, saying that if necessary, the country鈥檚 people would once again would take to the streets to get back their voting rights.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, while addressing a rally held on Shibganj Degree College ground in Thakurgaon, made the statement.
No tricks involving the election will be accepted, he said.
He accused the Awami League government of deceiving the people in the name of voting in the past 15 years, saying that the people had been deprived of their rights to vote.
Fakhrul said the BNP wanted to restore the people鈥檚 voting rights so that the people could elect candidates who would work for the country鈥檚 development.
He said that his party wanted reforms, but ordinary people were not aware of such issues.
鈥榃hat the people want is to have their rights to vote restored, for the country to remain peaceful and for inflation and crime to decrease,鈥� he said.
He also said that Sheikh Hasina was not passing idle time in India, but relentlessly hatching a conspiracy against Bangladesh and spreading propaganda that the Hindu community was being oppressed in the country.
Bangladesh is a country where people of all religions live together harmoniously, he said.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the people might begin to question the difference between the Sheikh Hasina regime and the present administration if the current government took too much time to arrange the election.
He came up with the remark at a programme organised by Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal on the ground floor of BNP鈥檚 Naya Paltan central office in the capital Dhaka to pray for a speedy recovery of the ailing party chairperson, Khaleda Zia.
鈥楽ome advisers are suggesting there is no need to rush for a fair election. Sheikh Hasina already delayed it for 15 years. If you add a few more years to that, the people will start wondering what the difference between the two administrations is,鈥� he said.
Mentioning that the people have high expectations from this interim government, he said, 鈥榃e believe that whatever they do, it will certainly not be a repeat of Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 fascism.鈥�
Rizvi observed that the public trust in the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus would increase if it took steps to hold the national election as soon as possible.