Urging people to get ready for an anti-government movement, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday said the ‘illegal government’ will be ousted after upazila parishad elections to restore ‘democracy and peace’. “Our movement will start once the upazila parishad elections are over. There’s no alternative to movement to extricate the government for protecting the country and its sovereignty,” she said while addressing a mammoth rally at Rajbari Railway ground this afternoon. Terming the ruling Awami League ‘blood sucker’, the BNP chief said: “The illegal Awami League government can only kill people. It cannot save peoples life.” She urged all to join the movement to save the country and its people from repression and restore democracy. “Do you agree (with me)?” she asked her audience and the huge crowd responded in chorus saying ‘yes we’re ready’. Expressing displeasure over non-implementation of Padma Bridge, Khaleda said the BNP-led alliance would build a Padma Bridge once it returns to power through a fair election under a non-party caretaker government. About the snatching of three convicted operatives of the banned Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh last month, Khaleda held the prime and her government responsible for the incident. She said there will be no room for terrorism in the country, and no one will be allowed to use the land of Bangladesh for terrorism. “Self-declared Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is in-charge of the home ministry will have answer for the incident someday,” she said questing poor security for the top ranking militants. Renewing her demand for immediate national election under caretaker government, she said people did not go to the polling centres in the January 5 election as they wanted it under a non-party arrangement. “People’s demand for a non-party caretaker government was established as people did not go to the polling centers…they (AL) grabbed power forcibly,” she said. The rally, organised by her party-led 19-party alliance, was part of her move to rejuvenate the party’s grassroots leaders through district tours. – risingbd.com
