Information Minister and President of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) Hasanul Haq Inu said election was never on Khaleda Zia’s agenda.
“It is still absent from her political program. She wants to subvert the constitutional process,” he said adding that the January 5 election of 2014 had ensured constitutional continuity.
The minister said this on Thursday while speaking at a meeting on “January 5: Constitutional continuity and protection of democracy Day” at the Shaheed Colonel Taher Auditorium on Bangabandhu Avenue in the city, organised by JSD’s city coordination committee.
He further said Khaleda Zia wants to subvert the constitutional process and usher in an extra-constitutional government so that the on-going legal proceedings against the war criminals and corrupt was subverted.
She is conspiring now to subvert the upcoming election, too, he said. “She has no specific formula for a neutral election but she continues to oppose the prevailing one. This is a formula for subversion and anarchy.”
For the last three years, Khaleda Zia has not changed her stance. She has repeatedly tried to burn democracy and the constitution by fire.
Referring to militancy, Inu said, “The war is far from over. Their principal patron Khaleda Zia has not yet surrendered, she has not apologized to the nation, and she has not sworn to refrain from her destructive path.”
“Militancy and their patrons need to be routed before the next election to make the polls safe,” he said.
Referring to the next election, the minister said, “Election will be held on schedule. It does not matter if any particular party participates or not. Democracy does not hinge on the participation of any particular party. Even victory in the poll does not absolve a person from crimes or trials.”
Chaired by Nurul Akhter, joint convener of the JSD Dhaka city coordination committee, the meeting was also addressed by other central and city leaders of the party.
