BNP demands polls by December: Tarique

Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Sunday said that his party had demanded the national election by next December.

He hoped that Bangladeshi people would immediately see the most credible national election in the country’s history under the leadership of chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

‘Our expectation is now that the people will immediately see the freest and impartial national election in the country’s history under the leadership of a skilled and competent and internationally acclaimed head of interim government,’ he said while virtually addressing a discussion.

The National People’s Party arranged the programme at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, marking its 18th founding anniversary.

Tarique said that political parties had once again met the chief adviser and demanded a clear announcement of the date and time of the national election. ‘BNP has demanded that the national election must be held by next December.’

He said that BNP and those, who have long been protesting on the streets together, had continued their full cooperation with the interim government for the necessary reforms in public administration and law and order forces to hold the national election.

‘Taking advantage of any excuse or unnecessary delay in establishing a government accountable to the people of Bangladesh through their vote, the fallen, fugitive and defeated autocrat is waiting to rise up,’ the BNP leader warned.

He, however, said that it was possible to prevent the rehabilitation of fascists, subversives, and evil forces by establishing the rights of the people of a fascism-free Bangladesh.

‘Although we see procedural and systematic differences among the anti-fascist political parties in terms of our respective party ideology and programmes, I firmly believe that the democracy-loving people of Bangladesh are united as they were on August 5 on the one-sided issue of tackling the rise of fascism in the larger interest of the country and the people,’ Tarique said.

He said that a sense of instability was being created among the country’s citizens, forcing people of different walks of life and professions to take to the streets every day with various demands. ‘Though unfortunately, there is no one to pay heed to their demands.’

‘All the political parties should now aim to resist the political comeback of the fallen fascist. For this, the political empowerment of the people is necessary.’

He said that no government could become autocratic when the country’s people became politically empowered.

The BNP acting chairman also opposed the government’s sudden move to reform the National Board of Revenue just before the national budget, warning of its negative impact on revenue collection and as a whole on the economy.