Dhaka, Jan 7 (Just News): Contesting prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s claim that the 5 January 2014 elections were not ‘voter-less’, the BNP on Sunday said the people hardly voted in the one-sided polls.
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told a protest rally that Sheikh Hasina made an 'untrue' statement on 5 January 2014 general elections to mislead people, reports UNB.
"We would like to say no one gave vote in 153 seats while only 5-10 per cent people cast votes in the rest 147 seats. So, how did people elect you?" the BNP leader said.
“You (PM) are claiming that you were elected by people while there was no election at all.”
Mosharraf was rebutting the remarks the prime minister made at Ganobhaban on Saturday that her government has been in power for the past four years as people had elected it with their votes.
“She (PM) did it to confuse the people, and it's very regrettable," the BNP leader said.
Agriculturalists’ Association of Bangladesh organised the programme at the Jatiya Press Club, protesting the recent attack on its leader Jafir Tuhin by the police.
In her introductory speech in the ruling Awami League’s central working committee meeting at Gonobhaban on Saturday, the premier said, "In any form, the 5 January election was not a voter less at all...more than 40 per cent voters cast their votes."
Mosharraf said people are only getting aggrieved by such 'untrue' comments as they know how they lost their rights on 5 January. "People of Bangladesh are very conscious politically."
He asked the AL leaders and activists to go to rural areas and talk to people to know how they have got fed up with the current regime.
Mosharraf also pointed out that the prices of essentials, including rice, have gone out of the people's purchasing capacity while corruption and plundering keep growing as the government has no accountability and control on state machinery.
Dwelling on their party's position on joining the 11th parliamentary polls, the BNP leader said it must be held under a non-party neutral administration dissolving the current parliament.
"The next election won't be held under Sheikh Hasina and Awami League-led government, no matter how much conspiracy they hatch".
He also said BNP will join the next polls realising its demand for installing an election-time non-party neutral government.
The BNP leader urged people to get united to save the country by establishing a pro-people government through a credible and meaningful election.
(Justnews/ys/1120hr)
