Bangladesh News

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday demanded the election schedule be announced immediately and urged the caretaker government (CG) to take punitive measures against those who are “creating anarchy” in the name of realising their demands.
Urging the CG to assist the Election Commission (EC) in holding the polls, she said, “The advisers to the caretaker government should start preparing for the elections and our party will also begin election preparations soon.”

“The only duty of the advisers is to do the routine works and conduct the elections, nothing else,” she added.

Pointing towards the leaders of Liberal Democratic Party, Khaleda said all of them were involved with corruption and now they have taken a stance against corruption.

“I know them very well. But I don’t want to say anything more about them. We want to make the country corruption free and it will be possible only by us,” she said while addressing a views-exchange meeting with the teachers and officials from different universalities at the Engineers Institute of Bangladesh.

Blasting Awami League (AL) led 14-party alliance, Khaleda said, “Already the caretaker government met a few of their [14-party's] demands. But they are not happy, even though nobody can meet their unconstitutional demands.”

“The caretaker government is not there for meeting their [14-party's] unconstitutional demands,” she added.

“They are conspiring to weaken the country by creating chaos only to ensure another quarter’s benefits,” she said adding that they are creating anarchy in the name of their illogical demands.

On the demonstrations for electricity during the fag end of her regime’s tenure, the former prime minister said, “That was sabotage and now everything is okay even though the caretaker government did not set up any new power plants. It proves that the movement for power was planned and it was a conspiracy against our government.”

She said, “People don’t want chaos, they want elections held timely and they are ready for it. Elections must be held within the stipulated 90-day time and a schedule should be announced.”

On the price-hike of essentials, she said, “The country will not get rid of poverty if the government provided free launches. The income of the people increased during our tenure and we have created new employment opportunities.”

Blaming the 14-party, she said they know that they will not win if the elections were held in a free and fair manner, so, they are trying to foil the elections.

“Now they [14-party] are trying to stop development of the country and create obstacles for exports and imports. People were not happy during the AL regime’s tenure for their terrorist activities. The country was not safe in their hands. They tried to destroy the country in a planned way,” she said.

Khaleda said, “They [AL] made the country a bottomless basket after the independence from Pakistan but we made the country an emerging tiger.”

The BNP chairperson said people will vote for her party again as they observed the development works during the four-party’s tenure in power.

“Awami League don’t want elections as they know they will not win the elections,” she again said adding that they (AL) want to make the country an inactive state.

Asking the media for a balanced coverage of news, she said, “What you are showing now is harmful for the country.” She said the images on TV of singing, dancing, chaotic and anarchic scenes on the streets are demeaning the nation.

Presided over by Siddique Ahmed Chowdhury, president of University Teachers Association of Bangladesh, the meeting was also addressed by Abu Ahmed, Akhtar Hossain Khan, Tahmina Akhtar, Moinul Islam, Aminur Rahman Majumdar and Atiqur Rahman.