BNP continues ill-efforts to make elections, electoral process questionable: Quader

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said BNP has been continuing its ill-efforts to make the country’s elections and electoral process questionable.

“Following its usual tricks, the BNP has started its ill-efforts to the elections and electoral process questionable. As per the constitutional provisions, elections will be held in the country in time,” he said in a statement.

Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, reiterated that the next national elections would be held in line with the country’s Constitution.

BNP leaders should understand that there will be no result by trying to halt the elections and make the electoral process questionable, while the state power will be changed with people’s mandate in constitutional way, he said.

Calling upon the BNP leaders to shun the path of conspiracy and return to the democratic politics, the AL general secretary said BNP is afraid of participating in elections.

“So, they (BNP leaders) have started conspiracy to deliberately make questionable the constitutional and democratic process of the transition of state power as they repeatedly failed in elections,” he said.

Quader said BNP founder Ziaur Rahman turned the democracy and electoral system of this country into a farce and Zia forcibly declared himself the President of the country by issuing a military decree.

Ziaur Rahman did not need any proponents and supporters to become the President of the country, he said.

He said Zia illegally organised “Yes-No Vote” by simultaneously holding the posts of President, Army Chief and Chief Martial Law Administrator, which was completely unconstitutional and against the rules and regulations of Bangladesh Army.

The AL general secretary said Zia gave the nation the gift of curfew-mark democracy and organised “Yes-No Vote” in 1977, the Presidential elections in 1978 and the parliamentary elections in 1979 by enforcing martial law.

He said Zia’s wife, Begum Khaleda Zia, followed the footprints of her husband and in continuation of that, Khaleda held the polls of farce on February 15, 1996 aiming to capture the state power for the second consecutive terms.

The National Parliament was stigmatised by selecting the self-confessed killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the Leader of the Opposition, Quader said.

Claiming that BNP is the main obstacle to the constitutional and democratic process of the country and the patron of all the evil forces in the country’s politics, he said the BNP today is putting its responsibility of its failure on the nation after getting rejected by the people time and again.

He said the BNP even changed its constitution to legitimise the party’s corrupt leadership.

Due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the whole world is going through a critical period, the minister said despite this crisis, the Sheikh Hasina government is ensuing protection of the country’s people.

Bangladesh is now in good position compared to many countries of the world, he added.