Staff Reporter :The BNP has accused the ruling Awami League as well as the government of working to split the 20-party alliance, because the ruling party has become ‘politically bankrupt’. “Had not the Awami League been bankrupt, it might not have been involved with splitting the opponents,” said BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. He was speaking at the tri-annual national council of Banlgadesh Labour Party, a partner of the 20-party alliance. The programme was held in the Institution of Engineers’ Bangladesh (IEB) in the city on Saturday. Chairman of the Labour Party Dr Mostafizur Rahman Iran presided over the function while former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr Emajuddin Ahmed inaugurated the council. Delegates from 44 organisational districts and city units of the party joined it.With reference to the AL’s contribution democracy and the Liberation War, Mirza Fakhrul said, “It seems that an old party, which had fought for democracy, has now become politically bankrupt. That is why it is resorting to creating rift in a political alliance.”His comments came just two days after a faction of the Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ) led by Abdul Latif Nezami cut ties with the BNP-led alliance.The BNP leader said that the government was claiming that the country had been flooded with development, but in reality it is all corruption. The ruling party should have worked for development of democracy instead of trying to split political parties and alliances, he added. He urged all the democracy-loving political parties and people to be united for restoring democracy in the country. Mirza Fakhrul alleges that opposition political parties and activists can’t now carry out their activities. “There is no political atmosphere anywhere. We cannot hold any meeting or rally. We are even obstructed from gathering in our offices to hold meetings there,” he alleged. He also accused the government of destroying the country’s election system. “People are now being denied their right to franchise. They couldn’t cast their votes during the January 5 election, the upazila polls, the city and municipal elections. The union parishad elections will be held again by depriving people of their voting rights,” he observed.
