The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Friday that the country’s democracy and the voting rights of people would be permanently abolished if the ruling Awami League came to power again.
‘The country will also lose its independence and sovereignty if the AL retains state power while none of the people, especially women, will be safe under the AL government,’ he said.
Fakhrul came up with the remarks while addressing a rally arranged by Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, the women’s wing of the BNP, in front of the party’s Naya Paltan office in Dhaka, demanding the release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, the withdrawal of Tarique Rahman’s case, and a one-point demand for the step down of the incumbent government.
Thousands of leaders and activists carrying banners and festoons from across the country joined the rally held with Mohila Dal’s president, Afroza Abbas, in the chair.
Expressing concern about the health condition of Khaleda Zia, Mirza Fakhrul said that she had now been kept under house arrest and was not getting proper treatment.
He also alleged that the government was gradually pushing her to death. ‘We hope the government will release Khaleda Zia and take measures through her family’s application to send her abroad for better treatment,’ he said.
Fakhrul said that Khaleda had been detained because, if she was free, it would be difficult for AL to cling to power. ‘If she [Khaleda] is free, the country’s democracy will be free, and the voting rights of the people cannot be taken away,’ he said.
Mentioning the BNP chief’s contribution to women’s education, he said that Khaleda Zia had introduced free education for girls up to class 10 and launched a quota system for women in jobs.
He said that the women were not safe under the AL government, which continued its torture and harassment of women after gaining state power forcefully and without the mandate of the people.
Sheikh Hasina is not thinking about the people of the country; she is trying to come to power again, ignoring all other political parties’ demands of holding the election under a non-partisan government, he said.
Mentioning that people could not vote in the past two general elections held under AL, Fakhrul said the election would not be free and fair under Sheikh Hasina government.
Fakhrul urged a united movement to force the AL government to step down, abolish parliament, and hold elections under a non-partisan government by forming a new election commission aiming to resolve the ongoing crisis in the country.
He also criticised the government for the high prices of all commodities, saying that people were struggling to run their families as traders were not obeying the government-fixed prices for essentials.
Speaking in a separate programme, BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said on Friday that the ruling Awami League government had established a new ‘Bakshal’ in the country.
‘BNP will force the government that established the ‘Bakshal’ to step down through a strong movement,’ he said.
The BNP leader came up with the remarks while talking to journalists after paying homage to BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman at his grave at Chandrima Udyan in the capital, marking the 30th anniversary of Zia Mancha.
He also said that the AL government had launched projects in the name of development, but they had done mega corruption in these mega projects.
