AL takes over through fake polls of January 7: BNP

Dr. Moyeen Khan of BNP addressing a news conference at their central office on Thursday 11 Jan 2024.

Dhaka, Jam 11 – BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Thursday alleged that the Awai League government seized office again through a fake election on January 7.

"This government has taken over the parliament as per its will by holding a fake and farcical election. It has now become clear to all that there was no election on January 7," he told a press conference.

Dr Moyeen claimed that the victory and defeat of the candidates in the 12th parliamentary election were predetermined by the highest level of the government. “It’s now no longer only BNP’s statement as it’s now exposed to the entire world with all the proofs.”

He said that the most depressing, shameful, disgraceful thing is that the government has indulged in vote robbery in broad daylight. "They shared the seats openly through negotiations and openly decided who would be elected to which seats (before the elections)."

Dr Moyeen, a BNP standing committee member, said it is needless to say how mean this regime is.

The BNP's Standing Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, arranged the press meet at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, which was reopened in the morning two and a half months after closure following clashes with police during the party’s grand rally on October 28, 2023.

Some BNP leaders and activists, led by the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, broke open the padlock on the collapsible gate of the office around 10:42 am.

After the party’s grand rally was foiled halfway through on October 28 at Nayapaltan amid clashes with police, the collapsible gate of the BNP's office was closed with the deployment of a huge number of law enforcers in the area.

Dr Moyeen said the government seized the central office of the country’s "biggest party" BNP following its crackdown on October 28. “We reopened the office today (Thursday) and came here to speak in favour of the people as we do politics with people for their welfare.”

Stating that the BNP believes in a liberal democratic political ideology, he said that their party has been on a movement to restore democracy in Bangladesh together with the people as the party did in the past.

“We're on the streets and will remain there with our movement. The BNP does not do politics only for going to power as our main goal is to establish people's rights. So, we're in the movement and we’ll restore the people's right to vote, the people's right to economic equality, and the people's democratic rights. We’ll create an atmosphere in Bangladesh where a people's government will be established through a fair and impartial election," the BNP leader observed.

He said it has been proved to the people of the country and the people of the world through the January-7 election that this government does not believe in democracy. “What this regime believes in is one-party Baksal rule."

BNP's standing committee members Nazrul Islam Khan, Selima Rahman, Vice Chairman M Shahjahan, advocate Zainul Abedin, Netai Roy Chowdhury and senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi were, among others, present.

Later, a documentary on irregularities, vote rigging, and ballot stamping by the ruling party leaders and workers during the January-7 polls was screened. - UNB