Staff Reporter :
Jatiya Oikya Front leader Dr Kamal Hossain on Saturday warned that the ruling Awami League government will have to face trial in future if it does not accept the seven-point demand to hold the next general election in a free, fair and inclusive manner.
Speaking at a huge public rally in front of the BNP office at Kazir Dewri in the port city Chattogram, Dr Kamal also accused the government of ‘regularly’ overriding the constitution, and said for this it has to be accountable to people one day.
“The Constitution is being violated every day…they must be held accountable for this,” he said.
Dr Kamal said, “People are the ‘sole owner of the republic’ and give judgement in favour of fair elections. If you disregard or ignore this verdict, you will get punishment even beyond your imagination,” Dr Kamal said.
“There’s nothing impossible to achieve when people get united as we had proved this in the past, including during the Liberation War,” he added.
It is to be noted that police gave permission for holding this rally at Kazir Dewri Moore in the port city, instead of traditional venue of Laldighir Maidan.
Criticising such move, Gano Forum President Dr Kamal, who leads the new opposition alliance, said the people were made to suffer and those who are responsible for this must be accountable.
“You have to be accountable why permission for holding the rally at Laldighir Maidan was not given. Is it forefather’s property of someone? It’s the people who are the owners of this,” he said.
During his speech, thousands of supporters and activists of the newly floated election-oriented alliance started chanting slogans demanding immediate release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.
Responding to their call, Dr Kamal said, “It is not a matter of raising demand to free her (Khaleda) from jail rather it is the issue of getting her released from imprisonment.”
He criticized the government for not releasing Khaleda Zia from confined in jail. “The government will have to be held accountable and must be punished for such confinement,” he sounded a note of caution.
The rally activities started around 1:30pm with recitation from the holy Quran and holy Gita. Chattogram city unit BNP President Dr Shahdat Hossain presided over the rally.
Before the beginning of the rally, senior leaders of the coalition visited the shgrine of Hazrat Shah Amanat ® and offered fateha there.
This was the second rally of the newly formed alliance as it held its maiden one in Sylhet on October 24.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressing the rally said, leaders and activists of the Jatiya Oikya Front will return home only after realising its seven-point demand, including holding of the next general election under a polls-time non-partisan government and ensuring immediate release of imprisoned BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and other leaders.
“We have faced many repressive acts of the government. Even, many of us have met the fate of enforced disappearance and killing. We will not bow our head to any misdeeds. We will return home only after realising the seven-point demand,” he said.
Other demands of the front include dissolution of parliament, reconstitution the Election Commission, release of all the political prisoners, deployment of army and cancellation of the move to use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS) for holding the next polls in a fair and acceptable manner.
Mirza Fakhrul said, before landing in jail BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia told her party men to form a greater national unity to build a strong resistance against the government’s misdeeds and wrongdoing, he said.
JSD President ASM Rab said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been kept in a lonely and abandoned jail in a bid to push her on the verge of death.
“Such offences will never be forgiven,” he said.
Rab said the renowned lawyer, Barrister Mainul Hosein, has been illegally sent to jail in a bailable case. The law and the constitution will be questionable if such national leaders are put into jail, he said, adding, the people will give a befitting reply.
Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna said, our mission and vision is one and unchangeable and that is we will restore democracy after defeating the fascist government.
He said our front leader Barrister Mainul Hosein has been arrested. With this democracy has been destroyed, he said.
He also said no election under this government will be held in a free and fair manner. He demanded of the government to free Khaleda Zia and other front leaders from jail immediately, and hold an inclusive poll under a neutral government.
BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and Mirza Abbas, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, BNP leaders Abdullah Al Noman, Amanullah Aman, Barkatullah Bulu, Mohammad Shahjahan, Zainul Abedin, Golam Akbar Khandaker, Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, front leader Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed and Kalakjan Party Chief Syed Mohammad Ibrahim also spoke at the rally, among others.
