Says Tarique
BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman yesterday said the "unholy efforts of evil forces" to create the ground for thwarting the next parliamentary elections are gradually becoming visible.
"Almost a year ago, I said invisible forces were working, centring the upcoming election. Now people have started noticing that the ill efforts are slowly becoming visible in recent times in preparing the ground to destroy the opportunity for people to establish their rights in Bangladesh through elections," he said while addressing a discussion.
The discussion, titled "Purpose and Significance of the BNP's Establishment", was held at the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), in Dhaka, marking the party's 47th founding anniversary.
While the interim government is trying to uphold the people's rights, some political parties are imposing conditions to serve their partisan interests, Tarique said.
"By doing so, they may be attempting to create obstacles in the electoral path in a planned way."
He said the BNP from the very beginning has been pressing the demand for holding an election at the quickest possible time, as the party believes that people need political power first. "If an elected government formed through direct voting fails to fulfill public expectations, people will get a chance to change that government through the next election, something that is practiced in democracies worldwide," he added.
Tarique urged the democratic political parties to refrain from blocking the electoral process with conditions saying that no reform initiatives would be sustainable by creating obstacles to the practice and application of the people's rights.
"Establishing people's rights through effective democratic political practice is much more urgent than textbook reforms," he said.
He said BNP fully agrees on the matter of reforms in the state and politics. Since reforms are important. But he cautioned that no reform will be sustainable if obstacles are created in the exercise of people's rights.
Though the interim government came based on public desires, Tarique said he does not think that there is any logical reason to expect this government to perform like an efficient and accountable political government.
The longer the interim government stays in power, the more its weaknesses will become visible, giving anti-uprising evil forces scope to create confusion, he warned.
Pointing to recent incidents, including the attack on Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur, Tarique said the country's stability is either becoming complicated or being made complicated.
Criticising mob violence, he said, "No one of us will tolerate mob violence. Every soldier of Shaheed Zia and Khaleda Zia will be sensitive and respectful towards the dignity and rights of women."
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, its Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the discussion conducted by BNP Publicity Affairs Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Ahmed Tuku.
