Awami League no longer be allowed to stage farce in the name of election: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday warned that the country’s people will not let the Awami League government hold another farcical national election like the 10th and 11th parliamentary ones.

“Awami League is thinking that they will usurp power again by staging a farcical election in the same way as they did during the last two elections and thus they'll again exploit the people and loot their money and assets, he said.

Speaking at a brief rally before launching Uttra East unit BNP’s march programme in front of Uttara Public College, Fakhrul warned that the country’s people will no longer allow the ruling party to cling to power by rigging votes and manipulating the election.

“People have taken to the streets with a movement. We will take the movement forward peacefully. This time we and the country’s people won’t stage any farce in the name of the national election,” he said.

The BNP leader called on the leaders and workers to intensify the movement and drum up public support in favour of their 10-point demand, including the resignation of the current regime and holding the next election under a non-party neutral government.

“Our movement is not for only to go to power. The main goal of our movement is to get back the rights of the people, including the right to franchise and right to speak,” he said.

Stating that their party has been in the movement for 15 years, Fakhrul said they will remain on the streets peacefully until the Awami League government is unseated. “If we are obstructed, we'll definitely overcome it and put up a resistance together with people.

As part of the next course of the simultaneous movement, the BNP Secretary General also announced to form human chain in all metropolitan cities, including Dhaka and in all district towns on March 11 to press home their 10-point demand.

The programme is also meant for mounting pressure on the government to reduce the prices of daily essential commodities and power and other utility services.

The leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies in all thanas under Dhaka south and north city corporations arranged separate rallies and brought out processions as part of their road march programme in all divisional cities.

Mirza Fakhrul launched the programme around 2:45p by taking part in a road march of Uttara East Thana unit BNP.

Party standing committee members and senior ones led a similar programme in all thanas in the capital and all other cities.

As part of the ongoing simultaneous movement, the BNP and its associate bodies and like-minded parties also staged the march in all thanas under the divisional cities to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.

Apart from BNP, Ganotantra Mancha arranged the march programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club while Gonoforum and People's Party in Arambagh, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote in Bijoynagar and Peshajibi Ganatantrik Jote in Purana Paltan in the capital.

They announced to form human chains in all divisional cities, including Dhaka, on March 11 to press home their different demands, including the resignation of the Awami League government and holding the next polls under a non-party administration.

From December last year, BNP and like-minded parties and alliances started a simultaneous movement to bring down the government, or at least realise the all-important caretaker or non-party provision ahead of the next election.

Besides, the leaders and activists of BNP’s Dhaka north and south city units observed the march programme in five areas in the capital since January 28.

The party also arranged a similar programme in all unions, districts and divisional cities across the country to press home their 10-point demand.