Politics
BNP announces fresh march programme in Dhaka on February 9, 12
BNP will again march in the capital on February 9 and 12 to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the two-pay fresh programme at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office.
“As part of our ongoing movement for the restoration of democracy, unconditional release of our leader Khaleda Zia, the resignation of the government, dissolution of parliament and realising the 10-point demand, BNP Dhaka South and North city units have decided to march again,” he said.
As part of the programme, he said BNP’s Dhaka South City unit will march towards the Jatiya Press Club from Gopibagh Brothers Union Club ground at 2pm on February 9 while its Dhaka North City unit will march towards Bosila Saat Rasta intersection from Shyamoli playground at 2pm on February 12.
Earlier, leaders and activists of the party’s Dhaka north and south city units observed the march programme on January 28, 31, 30 and February 1 respectively to push for their 10-point demand.
Later on February 4, BNP announced another march programme in all unions across the country on February 11 (Saturday) to mount pressure on the government to accept their 10-point demand.
Vandalism of Hindu temples, idols in Thakurgaon: Fakhrul demands fair probe
Voicing deep concern over the vandalism of 14 idols at 12 Hindu temples in Thakurgaon’s Baliadangi upazila, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday demanded an impartial investigation to find the perpetrators immediately.
In a statement, he said, “This incident is not only outrageous but also mysterious, premeditated, and disgraceful. There is no suitable word to condemn it.”
Stating that Bangladesh is a glaring example of communal harmony, the BNP leader said those who want to destroy communal and social harmony by vandalising temples and idols of the Hindu community are vermin of hell.
“An impartial investigation should be carried out to trace those involved in the Balidangi incident. I demand that offenders who vandalised the temples and idols at Baliadangi be identified through an impartial investigation and brought to justice immediately,” Fakhrul said.
At the same time, he urged the administration to be careful so that no innocent person is harassed due to political vengeance in connection with the incident.
Read: Hero Alam proves AL’s weakness as it had to use state machinery for win against him: Fakhrul
Unidentified people vandalised 14 idols at 12 Hindu temples at three unions under Baliadangi upazila in Thakurgaon district in the early hours of Sunday.
Fakhrul said panic gripped the Hindus and Muslims at three unions in Baliadangi upazila following the heinous incident which is contrary to social harmony.
Referring to media reports, he said most of the temples and idols that were vandalised were located on roadsides and policemen usually patrol those areas at night.
“But the absence of law enforcers there is also mysterious. The common people believed that miscreants could have easily vandalised such a large number of temples and idols due to their (police’s) negligence. The government can’t avoid its responsibility,” the BNP leader said.
He also said the ongoing misrule in the country has created an unusual and insecure situation where real criminals get away with crimes because of their association with the ruling party.
“As a result, criminals continue to commit new crimes with redoubled enthusiasm. People are now extremely insecure here as the country has now become a paradise for criminals,” he said.
Fakhrul expressed regret that along with political activities, social and religious activities have to be carried out in an insecure conditions in the country.
Read: No one from outside to save nation with sanctions unless we stand up: Fakhrul
He said mosques, temples, churches, pagodas, and other places for worshipping had also been attacked in the past,but the government could not bring the culprits to justice through fair and impartial trials.
The BNP leader alleged that the ruling party leaders’ involvement was found in previous incidents of vandalism of Hindu community's temples and idols and grabbing of their land and property, houses, and businesses.
“The ruling party MP at Baliadangi, his family members, and people loyal to him not only grabbed the land of the Hindu community, but also attacked and intimidated them. Even then, no action was taken against them,” he said.
Fakhrul demanded immediate reconstruction and necessary renovations of the vandalised temples at government expense.
Current situation not conducive to fair elections: GM Quader
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Monday said a fair election seems not possible in the current situation of the country.
“It’s the government that should take initiatives to improve the election situation. We’ll discuss it in the party forum and give a proposal on behalf of the Jatiya Party if the government wants,” he said.
Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in Parliament, came up with the remarks while talking to reporters at the Jatiya Party Chairman's Banani office.
He said that the current government has lost the trust of the people as it has been in power for a long time while the common people also do not like BNP.
In this situation, the Jatiya Party Chief said the country’s people want to see a third force apart from Awami League and BNP.
“The Jatiya Party is preparing to emerge in the elections as the third force. The Jatiya Party is preparing for the elections in 300 seats,” he said.
Quader said their party is doing politics to remove corruption, misrule, tender manipulation, politicisation, extortion, terrorism and anarchy from the country.
“The country’s people think that Jatiya Party has achieved much more success in running the country than Awami League and BNP. So, the people of the country want to see the Jatiya Party as an alternative force,” he said.
Replying to a question, the Jatiya Party chief said, “We respect the court and we obey all directives of the court.”
He said the Jatiya Party leaders and workers and the common people of the country are happy with the High Court order clearing the way for the Jatiya Party chairman to perform the party duties.
Next Head of State: AL set to finalise its candidate on Tuesday
Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) will hold a meeting on Tuesday to finalise the party's candidate for the presidential post.
The meeting will be held at the meeting room of the ruling party in the Jatiya Sangsad at 7:30 pm.
AL insiders said that the meeting of the parliamentary party has been called to finalise the party’s candidate for the president post.
On April 24, President Md. Abdul Hamid's term will expire. The 22nd presidential election of the country will be held on February 19. Nomination papers have to be submitted to the Election Commission for the post of President on February 12.
The next day on February 13, the nomination papers will be scrutinised. If there is more than one candidate, the vote will be held in parliament on February 19. Members of parliament will elect the president by voting.
According to the constitution, members of parliament will vote for the post of president.
The main opposition in parliament, the Jatiya Party, has already said that they will not nominate anyone for the post of the President. And since Awami League has a single majority in the parliament, only the nominated candidate will be elected.
Apart from finalising the party’s candidate for the post of president, names of those who will propose and support the name of the presidential candidate while filing the nomination paper to the election commission, will also finalise at the ALPP meeting.
President of ALPP and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over the meeting. Awami League Parliamentary Party Secretary and Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury has requested the party MPs to attend the meeting.
Hero Alam calls for recount in Bogura-4
Actor-turned-politician Hero Alam has applied for a recount in the recently held Bogura-4 by-election, which he lost by just 834 votes.
He submitted the application to the Bogura deputy commissioner's office around 1pm on Sunday.
In his application, the much-maligned artist alleged that the results from different centres were changed during the vote counting process, and that this becomes apparent from tallying the vote counts from each centre.
It's worth remembering that with the use of EVMs (as was the case in all centres of all six constituencies where the February 1 by-elections were held), votes are not counted as you would in an election using the ballot. Rather the electronically tallied totals from each centre are sent to a central desk where these centre-wise totals are all then tallied.
What Hero Alam is alleging, effectively, is that false totals were sent from some centres, or the numbers from some centres were falsified during the central tallying process.
Read: Hero Alam: Making shushils and politicians uneasy
"I have collected the results of all polling stations. Nearly every contender, including me, got unusual vote totals in some centres. I have submitted an application for a recount of the votes to the Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer with reference to those polling centres," Hero Alam added.
For years, Alam has been cast as an agent provocateur in the cultural arena of the country through his various forays in film or music. Although his popularity in digital metrics cannot be denied (followers, social media reach), his work has almost never been taken seriously and he has struggled for acceptance among those regarded as the vanguards of Bengali culture and heritage.
In the Bogura-4 election, Hero Alam seemed to be able to fashion that outsider image into a viable platform for people to rally around- bringing him within a whisker of entering the nation's foremost arena - the hallowed turf of parliament.
No doubt his critics would see that as his ultimate act of provoking the nation's sensibilities.
Alam said his application was 'accepted' by the EC, although this may just have meant they received it for consideration. He is disappointed at not getting a date set for the vote recount. If the EC doesn't respond to his request, he has threatened to pursue the matter in the courts.
Were he to do that, his name may get associated with a larger issue than even he bargained for: the issue of whether votes can be recounted at all using the EC's current generation of EVMs, that has been hanging in the air and may need the stringent scrutiny of a court case to be settled one way or the other.
Last November, for the very first time, the EC was forced to do a recount of an election that used EVMs, as an electoral tribunal ordered the recount of a ward councillor election held in Dhaka North in 2020. It came out identical, and a number of experts including ex-election commissioners criticised the EC's claim that votes cast on the EVMs being used can be recounted.
Read: Hero Alam proves AL’s weakness as it had to use state machinery for win against him: Fakhrul
They say without a paper trail to compare and audit the votes against, a machine would always return exactly the same result that it provided the first time.
The Bangladesh Election Commission rather famously rejected the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT system used by the Election Commission of India, where a paper record of each vote is produced automatically at the polling centre, that voters can take home and retain for their records. Later those can be used to challenge vote counts.
They instead went for Voter Verified Digital Trail or VVDAT, which puts all the information in a memory card turned over to the EC.
Hero Alam, who contested the by-polls as an independent candidate, lost Bogura-4 bagging 19,571 votes to JSDcandidate AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen's 20,405 votes, on a dreadfully low turnout that failed to reach even 15%. He also ran in Bogura-6, where he declared pretty early on that everything had been set up for the government's favoured candidate to win.
AL devoid of Bangabondhu’s AL, says Gonoforum MP Mukabbir
Gonoforum MP Mukabbir Khan on Sunday claimed that present Awami League deviated from the ideological path of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He made the comment in Parliament taking part in the thanksgiving motion on President’s speech.
“The current Awami League does not have Bangabandhu's principles and ideals,” he said.
He said that many of the current and former parliamentarians, bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians of this parliament have “looted money” and built Begumpara, second home, third home in different countries including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore.
“If you talk about this second home, you will see that snakes are coming out to collect earthworms. Then the Prime Minister might end up in an embarrassing situation, so I won't go there.”
Mokabbir challenged and said that those who claim to be belonging to the spirit of liberation war cannot go back to the constitution of 1972 ideals of Bangabandhu.
“1/11 has taught Awami League that if there is a hard time, many of the beneficiaries will not be found.”
Acknowledging the current government's development activities, he said that due to the post-Covid situation, the Russia-Ukraine war, money laundering, government mismanagement in some places, widespread looting in the banking and financial sectors, commodity prices are beyond the reach of common people today.
“When you go to the market, it does not seem to be any government in the country. There is no justice for those who are involved in looting indiscriminately.”
Saying that the middle class and lower middle class are in the worst condition, the Gonoforum MP said that the standard of living of many is going down, and many are going below the poverty line.
The government has given fair price cards to one crore low income group people. There is serious mismanagement and corruption in here. Some 80 percent of these cards are given to party leaders and workers, there is abundant evidence, he said. Even multiple cards are given to the same family, he said adding that poor people are not getting any benefits.
Mukabbir said that dishonest syndicates are once again active before Ramadan.
He said that A few days ago, gas and electricity prices were increased.
“Corrupt, unscrupulous syndicates always prey on people's sufferings. I would request the Prime Minister, make a tribunal to bring all these top corrupts, looters to book and give maximum sentence to some of the top looters.”
He said that corruption will reduce a lot this way.
“Hope, you will consider the issue taking common people's sufferings in mind.”
We want free, fair, impartial elections: GM Quader
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday said their party wants neutral and credible polls to ensure accountability and good governance in the country.
“We want free, fair, and impartial elections. Acceptable elections ensure accountability in society,” he said at a views-exchange meeting with the leaders of Jatiya Party’s Dhaka North City unit at the party chairman’s Banani office.
The Jatiya Party chairman said the people’s ownership of the country is established only when accountability is ensured.
If accountability is ensured, he said, people will be able to elect the representatives of their choice to run the country. “Again, people can change their representatives through elections if they act against the will of the people.”
GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, said a social system based on rule of law and justice must be established to ensure good governance in the country.
He also voiced concern over the growing disparity in the country. “Inequality should be eliminated. The great Liberation War was waged through the anti-discrimination movement. So, inequality is against the spirit of Independence.”
“Discrimination is increasing day by day in the country. A group of people are unable to eat three meals due to lack of money and can’t afford the medical expenses of their children while another group is making thousands of crores of taka and they are siphoning off the country’s money abroad,” the Jatiya Party chief observed.
He also bemoaned that the country’s people are going through serious ordeals due to the hikes in prices of essential goods.
“The prices of imported goods are increasing due to the rise in the value of the dollar. Again, the import of essential goods is being hampered by opening LCs due to the crisis of dollars,” GM Quader said.
As fewer products are being imported than the demand in the country, he said the necessary products are not available in the market. “That is why the prices of the necessary products are increasing abruptly.”
Besides, he said, factories are being shut down due to the crisis of importing raw materials, contributing to the rise in unemployment every day. “People's purchasing power is decreasing, while people's income is not increasing. Therefore, there is a pent-up cry among the people of the country. It seems there is no one who understands the suffering of common people."
Caretaker govt never coming back: Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has dismissed the opposition BNP's principal demand of a non-party government to oversee the next elections, and said that although BNP is now pretending to be a systematic movement, if given the chance it would create anarchy again in the country.
"So Awami League leaders and activists must have to be careful," the minister said at a peace rally organised by the Chittagong Metropolitan Awami League at Andarkilla intersection in the city on Saturday (February 4) afternoon as a chief guest.
He said, "BNP knows that they have no chance to win in the elections, so they have plotted many conspiracies. But no one will be allowed to create any kind of chaos in the country. If anyone tries to create chaos, Awami League will resist them with the people."
Hasan Mahmud, also the joint general secretary of Awami League (AL), said there will be no caretaker or polls-time-neutral government in Bangladesh to oversee national elections again. "There is no caretaker government anywhere in the world except Pakistan. BNP wants to follow Pakistan, but Bangladesh doesn't."
"As per the constitution, a fair and neutral election will be held in the country through the Election Commission under a government elected by people,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and General Secretary of Metropolitan Awami League and former Mayor AJM Nashir Uddin, among others, addressed the rally with acting President of Chittagong Metropolitan Awami League Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury in the chair.
Read more: Caretaker government most suitable system for credible polls: Fakhrul
Hero Alam proves AL’s weakness as it had to use state machinery for win against him: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said Hero Alam, who was lost in Bogura-4 by-polls by a narrow margin, has become a real hero since he proved Awami League has got so helpless that it had to use the state machinery against a candidate like him to defeat him.
Speaking at a rally, the BNP leader also said the recent by-polls have once again justified their party’s demand for holding the next polls under a non-party caretaker government.
"We would like to clearly say no fair election can be held under the unelected regime that usurped power by repeatedly deceiving the people of Bangladesh and fooling them. It has been proved again through the recent by-elections," he said.
The by-polls to the six parliamentary seats — left vacant after BNP MPs resigned —were held amid some stray incidents on Wednesday.
"Hero Alam has now become a hero as he has proved the Awami League was so helpless even to Hero Alam that it had to ensure its victory using the state machinery,” Fakhrul observed.
He also said former BNP MP Advocate Abdus Sattar took part in the Barahmanbaria-2 by-polls as an Independent candidate by resigning from the party. "Awami League took him (Sattar) as their own candidate and it had to make his rival candidate disappear to ensure Sattar's victory.”
The BNP leader said by-polls have proved that the voting rights of people will not be restored if Awami League remains in power.
Independent candidate Ashraful Hossain Alam, known as Hero Alam, lost to Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal candidate AKM Rezaul Karim Tansen by 834 votes in Bogura-4 by-polls. Alam claimed that he was defeated by manipulating the election results.
As part of a divisional programme of the simultaneous movement, BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units arranged the rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office to press home their 10-point demand, including the resignation of the government and holding the next election under a non-party caretaker government.
Criticising the government for the unusual hikes in all essentials, he said people are seriously struggling to survive and run their families.
The BNP leader said the government is taking loans for development, but the ruling party leaders will loot that money and siphon it off abroad to make their second homes in different countries, including, Canada, the UK, and Malaysia. "So, why should the people of Bangladesh repay that loans?
He said people want to change in power and the fall of the Awami League government as their backs are pushed against the walls.
Fakhrul said the government is now least bothered about the plight of the common people since the ruling party men are getting richer overnight.
"Awami League used to raise slogans against 22 looter families to establish people's rights during the Pakistan rule, But that Awami League has now created several thousand families who are plundering the resources of the people of Bangladesh. "Bangladesh has now become a state for plundering under the leadership of Awami League," he observed.
The BNP leader said their party’s main aim is to restore people’s voting rights and ensure a credible election.
He urged the government to immediately withdraw all cases filed against opposition leaders and activists and release all the arrested BNP leaders and activists, including ailing Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Fakhrul said their ongoing movement will continue as long this regime is ousted and a pro-people government is established through a credible election.
BNP announces program to march in all unions February 11
As part of the party’s move to involve people at the grassroots in their ongoing anti-government movement, BNP has announced a program to march in all unions across the country on February 11 (next Saturday) to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement while addressing a rally in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Saturday.
“Our program this time will be at the union level. We’ll march at the union level across the country on February 11 (Saturday), as part of the simultaneous movement to protest against the increase in prices of daily necessities, including gas electricity, rice and lentils and for the restoration of democracy, the resignation of the government and implementation of our 10-point demand,” he said.
BNP’s Dhaka South and North city units arranged Saturday's rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office to reiterate their 10-point demand, topped by the resignation of the government and holding the next election under a non-party caretaker government, that materialised at the end of their earlier divisional rally programme last December 10.
The party also held rallies in all the other divisions of the country today to protest the hikes in power and gas tariffs and repression on the opposition leaders and activists.
Earlier, leaders and activists of the party’s Dhaka North and South city units observed the march program on January 28, 31, 30 and February 1 respectively to push for the 10-point demand.
Stating that their march program in Dhaka drew huge public attention, Fakhrul said they will gradually observe a similar program in upazilas, districts and metropolitan cities after the union level. “In this way, people will oust this regime and establish a government of people,” he said.
Fakhrul said they are moving forward with their peaceful movement slowly to defeat the current ‘fascist’ government together with the people.
Read: Govt initiates underground metro project for plundering public money: BNP
Earlier in the day, Ganatantra Mancha, an alliance of seven political parties also committed to the present government's ouster as part of the 'simultaneous' movement, announced a march and mass campaign across the country on February 11 to press home their 14-point demand, including the resignation of the Awami League government.
Saiful Haque, general secretary of Bangladesh-er Biplobi Workers Party, announced the fresh program on behalf of the 7 parties, in front of the Jatiya Press Club on Saturday.
Some other opposition parties and alliances, including Ganatantrik Bam Oikya, the 12-Party Alliance, Samamona Jote, LDP, Gonoforum, and People’s Party, also held rallies in different areas of the capital and announced similarly synced programs, signaling their participation in the movement.
It was the fifth program of the simultaneous movement after the mass processions on December 30, sit-in on January 11 and rallies, processions on January 16 and rallies on January 25.