BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said their party will not stop at any obstacle in their ongoing movement to 'restore' democracy and people's voting rights by ousting the Awami League government.
“We want to move forward with our movement systematically and democratically. We want to restore the right to hold meetings and rallies. We won’t concede to any obstacle and neither will the country’s people,” he said.
Talking to reporters at his local residence in Thakurgaon, the BNP leader said on Wednesday, the leaders and activists of their party and its associate bodies at all levels from district to union in Chattogram demonstrated how to brave all adversities by joining the first of ten divisional rallies in great numbers, reports UNB.
He said their party is supposed to hold their second scheduled divisional rally in Mymensingh on Saturday, but Awami League has called a rally there on the same day, contravening political norms. This may cause the local administration to declare Section 144 in the area, imposing restrictions on freedom of assembly and preventing anyone from rallying.
“We had announced the schedule for the rally long ago while our campaign was going on for the programme. There is no reason for Awami League to convene the rally the same day. It has manifested that they don't believe in democracy,” Fakhrul observed.
He alleged that the ruling party resorts to terrorism with the help of the state machinery as they have destroyed democracy. “They’re now turning the country into a rogue state. We’re carrying out a struggle to bring back democracy. This movement will continue. No obstacle can stop us.”
The BNP leader said they have spread their political programmes based on public issues to the union level across the country
He said they started their second phase of movement by holding a peaceful rally in Chattogram: “But our leaders and workers were attacked and their vehicles were vandalized on their way to the rally. Many people were even arrested.”
Stating that five of their leaders were killed in the current movement, the BNP leader said false cases have been filed against around 25,000 opposition leaders and activists in connection with violence that was actually ensued by the ruling party and law enforcers.
He said Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) alone is not responsible for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killing in the country, rather the government is also responsible for such activities. “So, it’s necessary to impose sanctions on the government. The country’s people have already imposed sanctions on them (govt).”
The BNP leader also said their party will not allow the Awami League government to remain in power and hold the next elections under a partisan government. “There’ll be no election in Bangladesh without a caretaker or internal government.”
Taking his cue from BNP leaders, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader is also now saying that Bangladesh is under the grasp of a despotic regime, Fakhrul noted. “It’s now a fact and internationally recognised that Bangladesh is under a dictator."