Staff Reporter :
Jatiya Oikya Prokriya Convener and Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain on Saturday said that they have forged the national unity for restoring the voting right of the people of Bangladesh.
“The people of Bangladesh are deprived of their basic rights, including the voting right. People are feared about their security. They can’t enjoy even their constitutional right. It was not the spirit of the Liberation War. We came here to build national unity against this lawlessness,” he said these at a rally organised by Jatiya Oikya Prokriya at Mahanagar Natya Mancha in the city’s Gulistan area.
Dr. Kamal said, the financial sector of Bangladesh has been passing through a severe crisis in independent Bangladesh history. There is no money in the bank. The national unity’s motto is to bring back discipline in all sectors. The foundation of the unity is to rescue democracy.
He further said, there is no freedom of movement of the people. The demand of people is a safe, democratic and stable country. They want to free from this suffocation situation.
Thousands of people from different parts of the capital thronged the meeting venue at Mahanagar Natya Mancha long before the schedule time. The venue was jam-packed. People finding no places inside, stood on the mancha premises and the surrounding roads and lanes.
Jukta Front Chairman and Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh President Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury raised a lot of question to the government that why the situation remains in Bangladesh where there is no one ministry which is free of corruption.
B. Chowdhury said, simultaneously murder, disappearance and terrorism are happening in the country. Do you think (Prime Minister) you will be free from these allegations? Time will come and you will face the trial for these.
He also asked why our little kids and the quota reformists had to wage the movement, because the state failed to perform its responsibility.
B. Chowdhury said, the law enforcing agencies are paid by citizens’ tax. They are our sons, brothers, but the autocratic government using them against the people.
He warned that they would organise meetings, rallies. We won’t need any permission, if you want stop us.
He also criticised the Election Commission and compared the CEC with a doll.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP Secretary General along with three other standing committee members represented the party at rally. The BNP extended its all-out support to the Jatiya Oikya Prokriya in building a greater national unity for ensuring people’s right to elect their representatives through a fair election.
The BNP leader said, the government will have to resign and the parliament will have to dissolve for fair polls. Let’s come forward to build a greater national unity to realise the demand, he added.
He said, this unity is to bring back the right of people of Bangladesh from the fascist government. People of the country want to breathe in a free air. They could not tolerate the close door situation.
Mirza Fakhrul said the fascist government has ride up on our chest as a heavy stone. They are directing the country to the heel. They have crumbled our dream. They are ruling the party like one party.
Pointing out the imprisonment of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, he alleged that using the court they throw her (Khaleda) at an unhealthy abandoned jail (not fit for use as house). She is suffering severe health crisis. He also demands her immediate release. Mirza Fakhrul also presented a statistics about the case and arrest of BNP leaders and supporters. He said, more than 500 BNP leader-workers have been disappeared during this government. More than 78,000 cases have been filled.
From September 1 to 18, more than 3,776 cases were filled and over 3 lakh leaders-workers arrested.
Barrister Mainul Hosein appeared at the gathering of the unity process as non-party personality for expressing solidarity for the success of the unity move for free and fair election.
Addressing the rally, BNP Standing Committee Member Moudud Ahmed demanded forming of a non-party election-time government and reconstitution of the current Election Commission to hold a fair and inclusive election.
“We are with you (Jatiya Oikya Prokriya) and will remain in the process to forge a greater national unity,” Moudud said.
Another BNP Standing Committee Member Dr. Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain said, the whole nation stair at the unity. They believe change will come. Government would not sustain by using their mussel power.
Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan, another BNP Standing Committee Member, said, Bangladesh’s democracy is dead now. The right of proletariat is seriously affected.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal Presdient ASM Abdur Rab said, if the people were united the fascist government would be compelled to run away. He also alleged that Bangladesh now became the haven of looters.
Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury, the founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, who is known to be a key coordinating figure in the unity process, said, our Prime Minister is controlled by the “RAW”, the Indian intelligence agency and Mossad, Israeli Intelligence agency. “What they said, she did that.”
Zafrullah also criticized the government and said, I agree with the Prime Minister that development happened in the country, but it only capital centric, which does not bring any change for the remote people across the country.
Nagorik Oikyo’s convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna said, the nation does not want January 5 type rigging election. But this time the government will be bound to arrange free and fair election.
Criticizing the government, he said, BB’s reserve gold became mud, while coal at Barapukuria disappeared which nobody knows.
Sultan Mahmud, a former DUCSU VP, said, it is time to build forts from home to home in the country against the autocratic force.
Zonayed Saki, Convener Gonosanghati Andolan, said, we are in an autocratic system. If we can’t change the system, then the government will be changed in name only.
At the rally, Jatiya Oikya Prokriya reveled a declaration paper. Eng Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah, convener of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power, and Ports, read out the declaration.
In the declaration, Jatiya Oikya Prokriya issued an ultimatum to the government for implementing its three-point demands, including formation of an election-time neutral administration by September 30.
The two other demands are – reconstitution of the current Election Commission and dissolution of the 10th Parliament by the time frame.
Gono Forum leader Subrata Chowdhury, freedom fighter Mostafa Mohsin Montu, Awami League’s former organizing secretary Sultan Mohammad Mansur, Jamiat-e-ulamaye Islam’s Amir Allama Noor Hossain Kasami, Bangladesh Kalyan Party Chairman Maj Gen (Retd) Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, BNP’s Vice Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Supreme Court bar President Zainul Abedin, BJP Chairperson Barrister Andalib Rahman Partho, Jatiya Party (Jafar) Mostafa Jamal Haider and Saiful Rahman Iran of Labor Party, were present at the rally, among others.
