Ehsanul Haque Jasim :
The BNP-led 20-party alliance is planning to forge another anti-government movement targeting January 5, the anniversary of ‘one-sided polls’ of 2014.
Many BNP leaders hinted that their party has the plan to launch movement after the December 30 municipal polls. The party believes that the ‘December 30 polls will be nothing but repetition of April 28 polls to Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations’. Then the BNP will announce programme against ‘polling irregularities’ and on the occasion of January 5.
Talking to The New Nation on Sunday, BNP Vice-chairman Maj (Retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed said that the government has worked out a strategy to stage a farce in the name of municipal polls as it did during the three city polls of April 28. In this situation, they will have nothing to do to launch anti-government movement, he added.
The BNP had earlier launched movement twice — one before the January 5 election for holding the 10th Parliamentary polls under a non-party government system and another early this year for a fresh election, but failed to force the government to concede to their demands.
This year movement began on January 5, the day observed by the BNP as ‘Democracy Killing Day’, through launching countrywide non-stop blockade programme. BNP leaders said that they will also observe the ‘Democracy Killing Day’ next month and they want to stage a showdown on that day across the country. The party wants to return to the street again.
The BNP has taken the municipal polls as chance to reactivate its inactive and disheartened leaders and workers. The party believes that their leaders and workers will be geared up after polls and their party will be reorganised.
BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman said that they are working to reorganise the party. They would launch anti-government after the task, even they would go to the streets after December 30 if irregularities take place in the municipal polls.
Hafizuddin Ahmed at a discussion at the National Press Club on Sunday said that their party would take to the streets against the Election Commission (EC) if it fails to host a fair municipal election. “If the EC fails to tackle violations of electoral code, we will go for an all-out movement,” he said.
The BNP leader also said, “There will be no change in the government through the municipal polls. We hope the government will hold a fair election for the sake of democracy. Our chairperson will call for a movement against the EC before the government if the poll is not held fairly,” he said.
He alleged that the government is making a blueprint to manipulate the polls. “We would like to tell the EC to stand on its own feet and take action against those try to create chaos in the polls and ensure that no one can be elected flexing muscle.”
He also alleged that the BNP candidates and their supporters cannot carry out electioneering in many municipalities due to obstruction and intimidation by the ruling party men. He criticised the government for arresting BNP leaders and activists and implicating them in ‘false’ cases on the occasion of the polls.
In a separate discussion, BNP standing committee member Brig Gen (Retd) ASM Hannan Shah alleged that EC is not taking actions although the BNP men are complaining violations of electoral code of conducts by the ruling party-blessed aspirants.
Meanwhile, the BNP has formed a monitoring cell at the office of its Chairperson to “observe the anomalies and complaints” in the municipality polls, said a party press release.
The cell, led by BNP Joint Secretary General Mohammad Shahjahan, has asked for complaints, irregularities and information from its candidates of all districts and municipalities. The monitoring cell can be contacted at landline +88-02-98831991, fax +88-02-9883452, and e-mail address [email protected]
The BNP-led 20-party alliance is planning to forge another anti-government movement targeting January 5, the anniversary of ‘one-sided polls’ of 2014.
Many BNP leaders hinted that their party has the plan to launch movement after the December 30 municipal polls. The party believes that the ‘December 30 polls will be nothing but repetition of April 28 polls to Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations’. Then the BNP will announce programme against ‘polling irregularities’ and on the occasion of January 5.
Talking to The New Nation on Sunday, BNP Vice-chairman Maj (Retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed said that the government has worked out a strategy to stage a farce in the name of municipal polls as it did during the three city polls of April 28. In this situation, they will have nothing to do to launch anti-government movement, he added.
The BNP had earlier launched movement twice — one before the January 5 election for holding the 10th Parliamentary polls under a non-party government system and another early this year for a fresh election, but failed to force the government to concede to their demands.
This year movement began on January 5, the day observed by the BNP as ‘Democracy Killing Day’, through launching countrywide non-stop blockade programme. BNP leaders said that they will also observe the ‘Democracy Killing Day’ next month and they want to stage a showdown on that day across the country. The party wants to return to the street again.
The BNP has taken the municipal polls as chance to reactivate its inactive and disheartened leaders and workers. The party believes that their leaders and workers will be geared up after polls and their party will be reorganised.
BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman said that they are working to reorganise the party. They would launch anti-government after the task, even they would go to the streets after December 30 if irregularities take place in the municipal polls.
Hafizuddin Ahmed at a discussion at the National Press Club on Sunday said that their party would take to the streets against the Election Commission (EC) if it fails to host a fair municipal election. “If the EC fails to tackle violations of electoral code, we will go for an all-out movement,” he said.
The BNP leader also said, “There will be no change in the government through the municipal polls. We hope the government will hold a fair election for the sake of democracy. Our chairperson will call for a movement against the EC before the government if the poll is not held fairly,” he said.
He alleged that the government is making a blueprint to manipulate the polls. “We would like to tell the EC to stand on its own feet and take action against those try to create chaos in the polls and ensure that no one can be elected flexing muscle.”
He also alleged that the BNP candidates and their supporters cannot carry out electioneering in many municipalities due to obstruction and intimidation by the ruling party men. He criticised the government for arresting BNP leaders and activists and implicating them in ‘false’ cases on the occasion of the polls.
In a separate discussion, BNP standing committee member Brig Gen (Retd) ASM Hannan Shah alleged that EC is not taking actions although the BNP men are complaining violations of electoral code of conducts by the ruling party-blessed aspirants.
Meanwhile, the BNP has formed a monitoring cell at the office of its Chairperson to “observe the anomalies and complaints” in the municipality polls, said a party press release.
The cell, led by BNP Joint Secretary General Mohammad Shahjahan, has asked for complaints, irregularities and information from its candidates of all districts and municipalities. The monitoring cell can be contacted at landline +88-02-98831991, fax +88-02-9883452, and e-mail address [email protected]
