BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday reiterated that there would be no election under the Hasina government. “No election has been held in a free and fair manner under the Hasina government. There will be no fair polls under her government in future. No election, therefore, can be held under the current dispensation,” she said. Khaleda was speaking as the chief guest at a rally of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the students’ wing of the BNP, in the city.
The former premier said the current Parliament must be dissolved before the general elections, which are likely to be held later this year. “The next general elections should be held under a neutral government. The polls should be held after dissolving Parliament. There must not be any election under the Hasina government,” she added.
Khaleda said her party would take part in the election. “We’ll take part in the polls, but it should be held under a neutral government. It’s not possible to hold a free and fair election under the current government,” she added.
The JCD organised the rally at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), to mark its 39th founding anniversary.
The rally was scheduled to be held at 2pm. However, the JCD was forced to start it around 6:30pm, as the IEB authorities did not allow them to enter the hall from 10am despite the approval given to the organisation.
BNP leaders and workers held a sit-in demonstration in front of the entrance of the IEB as the authorities kept the gate closed for hours. The BNP chairperson reached the IEB at 4:32pm and joined the sit-in until the main gate was opened at 5:32pm.
The JCD, however, was not told why they were not allowed to enter the auditorium for several hours. Law enforcers said they did not obstruct the JCD from holding their rally. Preferring anonymity, however, an employee of IEB said that the JCD was not allowed to enter the venue due to security reasons as President Abdul Hamid was present at a function on the Supreme Court premises in the afternoon.
The BNP chairperson criticised the authorities for keeping the IEB auditorium closed. “The present government is not elected. There is no rule of law and freedom of expression in the country, which is being run by one person. Everything has come to a standstill,” she said.
Khaleda alleged that former chief justice SK Sinha was forced to stay at his home. He went abroad and was made to quit at gunpoint.
She accused the ruling Awami League (AL) of meteing out injustice to the BNP. “The kind of repression they are carrying out has surpassed that of Pakistani rulers,” she said. The former premier held the AL responsible for rise in militancy in the country. She warned that those involved in anti-state activities would be sued in sedition cases. She called upon the police administration to play a neutral role.
During her half an hour speech, the BNP chief focused on the failure of the current government and lambasted it for carrying out repression on the opposition. The government has turned the country into a prison, she said.
“Only Sheikh Hasina is free and the rest is all confined,” she claimed. The BNP chairperson called upon JCD leaders and activists to stay united and remain disciplined to make the movement a success.
*News Searching By Theindependentbd *
