Fakhrul smells early polls strategy to hoodwink people again

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, SG of BNP addressing a sit-in programme of the party in dhaka on Saturday April 1 2023.

Dhaka, Apr 1 – BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday apprehended that the Awami League government may be devising a different strategy to con the people again by going for an early election.

Speaking at the party's sit-in programme, he called on people from all walks of life to be vocal against the misdeeds of the government if they want to get rid of AL's repression and suppression.

“They (govt) won’t go easily. A meeting was held in the Election Commission the day before yesterday (Thursday) where the Chief Election Commissioner talked about taking all measures for the election, if necessary for early an election. That means they now want to take a different strategy,” the BNP leader said.

As per that strategy, he feared that the government will hold an early election and announce themselves the winners 'as they did in the past by fooling people'.

"We would like to clearly say that people won’t allow any of your (govt’s) strategies to succeed, and they won’t fall into any trap. This time the public will put up a resistance and foil all your plans,” Fakhrul warned the incumbents.

As part of the ongoing simultaneous movement, BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units jointly staged the sit-in from 2 pm-4 pm in front of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital.

The BNP, its associate bodies and like-minded parties observed a two-hour sit-in programme in all divisional cities and district towns on Saturday to press home the 10-point demand they unveiled in December - the most important one being elections under a non-party caretaker government.

The programme was also meant for registering the party’s protest against the rise in the prices of power, gas and essential items and the Awami League government’s all-pervading corruption.

Apart from BNP, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, Gonoforum and People’s Party, Peshajibi Ganatantrik Jote, 12-party alliance, Labour Party, Bam Ganatantrik Oikya and LDP also observed the programme separately in different areas of the capital.

Describing the current government as fascists, Fakhrul said it does not believe in democracy nor does it give any importance to people's opinions, as its only goal is to stay in power by force instead of votes if necessary.

He deplored that the administration, police and other law enforcement agencies are helping the ruling party to cling to power illegally as it has no relations with the people.

The BNP leader warned that the people of the country have never accepted injustice indefinitely. "They have always fought against injustice and they truly fought for democracy," he asseted.

He slammed the government for filing cases against journalists, including Daily Prothom Alao Editor Matiur Rahman, under the Digital Security Act (DSA) and the arrest of the vernacular daily reporter Samsuzzaman Shams.

“I would like to ask all people to be careful and alert as the current illegal and usurper regime won’t spare anyone from its repressive activities. If you remain silent, one day you’ll also be subjected to repression by the government. So, it is the responsibility of all people to resist this regime together,” Fakhrul observed.

He said when many BNP leaders and activists and dissidents were killed, repressed and made disappear and three editors--Mahmudur Rahman of the Amar Desh, Abul Asad of the Daily Sangram and Shafik Rehman of Jai Jai Din—were repressed and forced to leave the country, many civil society members and noted citizens did not raise their voices. “But now a case under the Digital Security Act has been filed against the editor of the most popular newspaper in the country."

Under the circumstances, he urged the people to unite to realise their party’s 10-point demand by defeating the Awami League government through a mass uprising. - UNB