Terming the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as the largest and most popular party of the country, its Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday called upon the ruling party to sit for immediate dialogue with it. “BNP is the largest party. So, the government must sit for dialogue with the party,” she said while addressing a rally at Jamalpur Zila School ground this afternoon. The BNP-led 20-party alliance organised the rally to drum up public support for its demand of scrapping judge impeachment bill and holding fresh parliamentary election under a non-party administration. Saying fair elections are not possible under Awami League government, the BNP chief once again demanded the general election under a caretaker administration. The BNP Chairperson’s demand came hours after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while responding to a volley of questions from Bangladeshi journalists living in New York, ruled out the possibility of any midterm election and holding any dialogue with BNP. Reiterating her allegations that the ruling government has captured power through vote rigging, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia also said, they must have to pay penalties for that. “They are forming new laws one after another without being elected by the people. They are also looting the people’s wealth. They must have to pay for these kinds of vices,” she said. Terming Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) ‘a killer force’, the former premier also reiterated her demand for disbanding it. “Rab is a killer, terrorist force. Rab must be disbanded. Otherwise, no-one’s life is safe,” she said. Claiming that the ruling Awami League is a party of terrorists, she said that its supporters are involved in crimes like killing, murder and disappearances. “We boycotted the election to show that the people were not with them (Awami League), they were with us,” Khaleda said. Earlier, the BNP Chairperson Khaleda, also head of the 20-party alliance, reached Jamalpur Circuit House around 2:30pm. – risingbd.com
