Election-time govt main concern, not use of ballot or EVM: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said their party is least bothered about the Election Commission’s decisions to use ballot papers in all 300 seats instead of EVMs in the upcoming polls as their main concern is about the election-time government.

Speaking at an iftar party, he also alleged that a suffocating situation has been prevailing in the country as the government has been increasingly trying to suppress the people’s freedom of expression by repressing democracy-loving people, including politicians and journalists, as the national election is nearing.

“The Election Commission has said today (Monday) that ballot papers will be used in all seats in the election. “We don’t have even an iota of interest in the matter. We think the main crisis is who will be there in the government during the election and it’s our main concern,” the BNP leader said.

BNP hosted the iftar party in honour of politicians at Ladies Club in the city’s Eskaton area, reports UNB.

Fakhrul along with party senior leaders welcomed the guests and exchanged pleasantries with the invited guests.

As a four member BNP delegation joined Jatiya Party’s iftar on Sunday unlike previous 16 years, a Jatiya delegation took party in BNP’s iftar reciprocating a good gesture.

In a brief address before the iftar, Fakhrul alleged that the government has destroyed the electoral system as it has come a long way from the Liberation War’s spirit of building a democratic state.

He also said the government created a situation to confuse people once again by staging various dramas and farce in the name of election.

Fakhrul said BNP and many other political parties agreed that no fair election can be held under the current regime which is neither elected nor illegal.

Accusing the current government of destroying democracy, he said it must quit, dissolve parliament and hand over power to a bon-party caretaker government, paving the way for holding a credible election.

“We believe that the people of this country never accepted any dictatorship and autocracy. The brave people of Bangladesh have always fought for their freedom and rights and succeeded,” the BNP leader said.

He hoped that people of all walks of life and all political parties will join the current movement for the restoration of democracy and voting and other lost rights.

As the national election is getting closer, Fakhrul alleged that the democratic people, organizers, dissents, politicians, lawyers and journalists are being gradually subjected to torture and their freedom of expression is being hampered in various ways, including by filing false cases. An unbearable situation has been prevailing in the country.”

Jatiya Party delegation includes party secretary general Mujibul Haque Chunnu, senior leaders Anisul Islam Mahmud, Kazi Firoz Rashid, Fakhrul Imam and Syed Abu Hossain Babla.

Liberal Democratic Party chief Oli Ahmed, JDS leaders ASM Abdur Rob, Tania Rob, Gonoforum leaders Subrata Chowdhury Mostafa Mohsin Montu, Nagorik Oikya leaders Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Kalyan Party chairman Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, LD leader Redwan Ahmed, Biplobi Workers Party leader Saiful Haque, Ganasanghati Andolan Zonayed Saki, Bhasani Parishad leader Rafiqul Islam Babul, Gano Odhikar Parishad leader Rashed Khan, National People's Party (NPP) leader Farhaduzzaman Farhad, Labour Party leader Mostafizur Rahman, among others, attended the iftar.

Apart from Fakhrul, BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Dr Abdul Moyeem Kham, Nazrul Islam Khan and other leaders of BNP and its front organisations were present.