Bangladesh News

Demanding release of all detained political leaders including two former prime ministers, pro-Khaleda BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday said the people will not accept any ‘pre-scripted dialogue and rigged election’ in the country.

Urging his party leaders and activists to be united, he said BNP will announce agitation programmes if necessary, and the activists should be ready to implement those to realise their demands.

“There is no alternative to an election, and the people will not accept if anyone devises an alternative,” he said at a discussion meeting held in the Engineers’ Institution auditorium in the capital organised by BNP, marking the 27th death anniversary of its founder also a president of the country, Ziaur Rahman.

He also said, “A conspiracy is being hatched to hold an election keeping BNP at bay, but we will not participate in any rigged election.”

Putting out a call to an undefined quarter close to the caretaker government, he said, “The practice of being in politics and in government services at the same time is not acceptable. So please co-operate with the Election Commission for holding an election as soon as possible giving up the immoral policy.”

BNP Standing Committee Member Tanveer Ahmed Siddique said those who are ‘in the government and behind it’ are currently the direct beneficiaries of the politics of last fifteen years.

“If you have patriotism then hold the election within 90 days to save the country, as there is no alternative to democracy,” he put out a call to the interim government.

Stressing on strengthening BNP, he said, “Whenever we went to power earlier, the affairs of the party was put on the back burner, even the party’s last council was held many years ago. This time around we will make the party modern and updated, and a council will be held to bring out new leadership.”

Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah, an adviser to the detained BNP chairperson, said, “After the assassination of Ziaur Rahman the erstwhile brave ministers and lawmakers left their houses, the same thing is happening now, only this time it is happening after the arrest of Khaleda Zia.”

He said BNP will not participate in any ‘game of dialogues’ with its chairperson Khaleda Zia in detention. “We will free all detained politicians by turning our grief into strength,” he said.

Pro-Khaleda Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan said a conspiracy is on to destroy the body politic by keeping Khaleda Zia in jail. “No dialogue or election will be allowed to be held in the country while Khaleda Zia is in jail,” he said.

Abdul Mannan, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Sohrab Uddin and Rizvi Ahmed also spoke among others.