BNP wants assurance of power, not election: Hasan

Awami League Joint General Secretary and Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said BNP wants the assurance of going to state power, not the elections.

"BNP seeks such a commission (Election Commission) and a system which would earlier ensure that the party would go to power. In fact, BNP is afraid of elections. For this, they are giving negative statements over polls. They (BNP) want that the authority concerned would grantee the party to go to power. Otherwise, it seems that they would not accept," he said.

The minister said this to reporters after a seminar on Tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 and strengthening the tobacco control act to prevent non-communicable diseases at an auditorium of CIRDUP in the capital, reports BSS.

Welcoming the Election Commission's initiative of discussions, Hasan said the discussions between the EC and all stakeholders including the civil society are very positive. "We want a fantastic election through the participation of all parties including BNP. But, it is their own party decision whether they would take part in the polls or not," he added.

He said BNP killed people through arson attacks and many BNP leaders including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir are accused of giving the order. The cases are on trial and the trial needs to be held in speedy trial tribunal, he added.

The minister said such cruelty of killing people through torching by BNP did not happen anywhere in the contemporary world. "I personally think that their (BNP) trial should be held in a speedy trial tribunal," said Hasan.