BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said Hero Alam, who was lost in Bogura-4 by-polls by a narrow margin, has become a real hero since he proved Awami League has got so helpless that it had to use the state machinery against a candidate like him to defeat him.
Speaking at a rally, the BNP leader also said the recent by-polls have once again justified their party’s demand for holding the next polls under a non-party caretaker government, reports UNB.
"We would like to clearly say no fair election can be held under the unelected regime that usurped power by repeatedly deceiving the people of Bangladesh and fooling them. It has been proved again through the recent by-elections," he said.
The by-polls to the six parliamentary seats — left vacant after BNP MPs resigned —were held amid some stray incidents on Wednesday.
"Hero Alam has now become a hero as he has proved the Awami League was so helpless even to Hero Alam that it had to ensure its victory using the state machinery and resorting to manipulation,” Fakhrul observed.
He also said former BNP MP Advocate Abdus Sattar took part in the Barahmanbaria-2 by-polls as an independent candidate by resigning from the party. "Awami League took him (Sattar) as their own candidate and it had to make his rival candidate disappear to ensure Sattar's victory.”
The BNP leader said by-polls have proved that the voting rights of people will not be restored if Awami League remains in power.
Independent candidate Ashraful Hossain Alam, known as Hero Alam, lost to Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal candidate AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen by 834 votes in Bogura-4 by-polls. Alam claimed that he was defeated by manipulating the election results.
As part of a divisional programme of the simultaneous movement, BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units arranged the rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office to press home their 10-point demand, including the resignation of the government and holding the next election under a non-party caretaker government.
Criticising the government for the unusual hikes in all essentials, he said people are seriously struggling to survive and run their families.
The BNP leader said the government is taking loans for development, but the ruling party leaders will loot that money and siphon it off abroad to make their second homes in different countries, including, Canada, the UK, and Malaysia. "So, why should the people of Bangladesh repay that loans?
He said people want to change in power and the fall of the Awami League government as their backs are pushed against the walls.
Fakhrul said the government is now least bothered about the plight of the common people since the ruling party men are getting richer overnight.
"Awami League used to raise slogans against 22 looter families to establish people's rights during the Pakistan rule, But that Awami League has now created several thousand families who are plundering the resources of the people of Bangladesh. "Bangladesh has now become a state for plundering under the leadership of Awami League," he observed.
The BNP leader said their party’s main aim is to restore people’s voting rights and ensure a credible election.
He urged the government to immediately withdraw all cases filed against opposition leaders and activists and release all the arrested BNP leaders and activists, including ailing Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Fakhrul said their ongoing movement will continue as long this regime is ousted and a pro-people government is established through a credible election.
