BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has accused the government of using state machinery to control the country by eliminating opposition parties.
“One-party rule is now the only way for the survival of the current government since it has lost people’s confidence,” he alleged in a statement issued on Friday, reports UNB.
The statement was issued condemning an attack reportedly by ruling party activists on BNP’s potential mayor and councillor candidates in Laksam municipality polls in Cumilla billed for January 30.
Fakhrul said the armed cadres of Awami League and Chhatra League attacked BNP’s possible candidates in Laksam municipality, leaving them critically injured.
He alleged that criminals are flexing muscles and attacking opposition candidates and their supporters during any polls due to a lack of democracy and atmosphere for credible elections in the country.
The ruling party is torturing and suppressing the candidates of BNP and other opposition parties to seize local power without any vote, the BNP leader said.
He alleged that the ruling party men are indulging in bloodletting over the elections to maintain their dominance as they do not have any accountability to people.
Fakhrul said the government is threatening and intimidating the voters so that they forget the electoral system.
He said the attacks on BNP’s potential candidates in Laksam municipality has manifested that the government wants to declare its candidates the winners without voting by oppressing the opposition candidates.
The BNP leader urged all irrespective of party and opinion to get united to deal with the terrible ‘misrule’ of the government and put an end to the authoritarian one-party rule. “Otherwise, misfortune will never be removed from this country.”
He demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the attackers on Laksam BNP's potential mayoral and councillor candidates.