Politics
Govt arresting BNP leaders and activists wholesale to prolong misrule, says Mirza Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday accused the government of arresting the leaders and activists of the BNP indiscriminately and sending them to prisons across the country.
The BNP leader said the government is doing so to prolong its misrule.
“Arresting the BNP leaders and activists indiscriminately is the only means for the government to cling to power,” he said.
In a statement, the BNP leader also said the opposition leaders and activists are not getting justice from courts.
“The Awami government is prolonging misrule by establishing its control over courts. That's why the BNP leaders and activists do not get any justice,” he said.
As anarchy has been prevailing in every sector, including in economic, social and political spheres, and the exchequer has been empty, the government is using the state machinery indiscriminately to silence the opposition voices as part of its move to cover up its own failures.
The statement was issued voicing concern over the jailing of Gazipur city unit BNP convener Md Sohrab Uddin by a court in a ‘false and politically motivated’ case.
Fakhrul said Sohrab was sent to jail on Monday after rejecting his bail petition in the case.
He demanded immediate withdrawal of the ‘fabricated’ case against Sohrab and his unconditional release.
The BNP leader said the case against Sohrab was filed in Gazipur while he was staying abroad.
“The ruling party is trying to stay in power by terrorising and intimidating the BNP and opposition party leaders and activists through repressive measures. The country is now a large prison under the Awami dictatorship,” he said.
Fakhrul said that the motive behind the filing of the vindictive and false cases against the BNP leaders and workers is to thwart the ongoing movement meant to restore democracy.
“But people are starting to wake up from the grassroots. They’re now standing against the injustice and oppression of the government,” he warned.
The BNP pleader said Sohrab was denied bail and sent to jail only for raising his voice against the government. “Sending him to jail is yet another dreadful manifestation of the vindictive politics of the current government.”
All polls under AL govt are fake, Rizvi says about Zila Parishad elections
BNP Senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Monday alleged that all the elections, including those of the Zila Parishad, under the current government are 'fake'.
"We’re now not involved in any election. We won’t talk about this election (Zila Parishad). In fact, all elections under the current regime are fake,” he said.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, the BNP leader said they are now focusing on only the national election that has to be held under a neutral caretaker government.
“We’re on a movement to force the government to hold the election under the caretaker government. We’ll take that movement to the path of victory."
Rizvi made the remarks as journalists sought his comment on the Zila Parishad polls.
Meanwhile, the Elections to 57 Zila Parishads were held on Monday peacefully at 925 booths in 462 centres across the country by using electronic voting machines on Monday noon.
Rizvi alleged that the ruling party leaders and ministers have started making unguarded remarks seeing the huge flow of people to BNP’s two massive rallies against corruption and misrule.
He slammed Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader for this remark that their party can arrange the gathering of 30 lakh against BNP’s 10 lakh.
“If you can gather a large crowd and have huge popularity, then why do you have to resort to vote robbery in the dead of night or uncontested voting? Not only the country's opposition parties and civil society, but the international community is also vocal and making various statements against night-time voting and uncontested elections,” Rizvi said.
The BNP leader also said that Quader's comment about holding a rally of 30 lakh people is nothing but a matter of laughter.
He alleged that the government has been stopping vehicle movements, and attacking and arresting the BNP leaders and activists during the rallies of BNP. “Despite that, the participation of mass people in BNP’s rallies is increasing gradually. People are joining the rallies by walking on foot or in vans and trawlers. The sacrifices of these patriotic people won’t go in vain.”
Rizvi urged the government to step down by handing over power to a non-party-neutral government to avert a mass upsurge in the coming days.
He also came down heavily on Information Minister Hasan Mahmud for what he said making ‘bizarre’ and ‘reckless’ comments about BNP and its programmes.
“The Information Minister is supposed to give correct information. But he gives such information that people can’t stop laughing,” the BNP leader observed.
He also said Hasan Mahmud is becoming a laughing stock before the people by making such false and fabricated remarks only to appease the prime minister.
Never again one-eleven in Bangladesh: Obaidul Quader
Accusing BNP of trying to stage another one-eleven Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday advised the opposition party to come out “this nightmare.”
“One-eleven will never come back to Bangladesh,” Quader said at a media briefing at his official residence. "Those who think that the government will fall after a few rallies are living in a fool's paradise," he said.
In Bangladesh the 1/11 is referred to the day when a military-based caretaker administration took over amid a deepening political crisis over holding of general elections.
The AL leader explained the scrapping of the constitutional provision of holding general election under neutral caretaker government in 2011.
Pointing to BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam’s claim Quader said that the high court – not the Awami League government - abolished the caretaker government system.
Referring to Fakhrul’s claim that AL is conspiring to stay in power until 2041 Quader said “Only God and the people of the country know who will be in power till 2041 and who will be out.”
He said Awami League believes in politics of ballot and respects people's trust.
Quader said that if the people of the country want, the Awami League will form the government again.
He said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has honest courage and for her power is not a permanent thing.
“If someone works for the welfare of the people, they never turn anyone away. And that's why Awami League has been doing people's politics since its birth,” he said.
He also said that Awami League does not believe in the politics of conspiracy, BNP does the politics of conspiracy, murder, fire and terror.
Calling BNP as an ungrateful party, the general secretary of Awami League said that PM Hasina by an executive order allowed the party’s leader to stay outside prison and at home. But BNP does not have that sense of humanity and gratitude.
Claiming that BNP opposes for the sake of opposition, Quader said that whatever the government does, BNP starts blindly criticizing it.
The AL leader wondered why does BNP create unnecessary controversy about something not seen anywhere in the world.
He once again said according to the constitution, the next national election will be held like in other democratic countries of the world. If politics is for the people, BNP should come to the election.
Quader asked the BNP secretary general that those who do not have democracy within their party how will they establish democracy in the country?
He also said that if he (Quader) has to resign then Mirza Fakhrul should be the first to resign due to continuous failure in the movement and elections.
"Mirza Fakhrul has been holding the post of secretary general of the party for many years without any council. Fakhrul may not even know when the general meeting of BNP was held," he said.
Quader explained that mega projects have been undertaken by his ministry under the instructions of the Prime Minister and a revolutionary change in the communication system has been achieved in this country. People of the country know this very well - but BNP is pretending not to know.
Barishal Mayor Sadik calls UNO ‘stupid’ during Zila Parishad election
Barishal City Corporation (BCC) Mayor Serniabat Sadik Abdullah today (October 17, 2022) had an incident with Barishal Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Moniruzzaman while entering a polling centre during the ongoing Zila Parishad election.
In a video shared from the Barishal mayor’s Facebook page, it was seen that the mayor tried to enter Barishal Zila School polling centre with a group of public representatives and the UNO barred him.
Read: Barishal clash: Two cases filed against UNO Munibur Rahman
“Have I entered the polling centre yet? Why are you creating a scene? Am I a child who doesn’t know the rules? Why are you talking like a stupid person?” Sadik asked Moniruzzaman during an angry outburst.
Shocked, the UNO then tried to recollect himself by telling Sadik that he didn’t say anything to him. Later, the UNO told journalists that the news of an altercation between him and the Barishal mayor was “unfounded”.
Read Polls underway at 57 Zila Parishads
On August 18, 2021, BCC Mayor Sadik got into a heated argument with former Barishal Sadar UNO Munibur Rahman over removing banners. Gunshots were fired during the incident, and three cases were filed with the local police station over the matter.
History won't forgive Justice Khairul Haque for scrapping caretaker system: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday said history will never forgive former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque for ‘unethically’ creating a ground for the Awami League to revoke the caretaker government (CG) system to conduct general election.
Speaking at a discussion, he also said the political and economic future of the people of Bangladesh and their existence are closely related to the issue of a caretaker government.
“The parliament passed the law (revoking the caretaker government system), but justice ABM Khairul Haque created the ground for it. History will never forgive him for it. He first gave a short verdict and later unethically gave the full verdict changing the short version as a civilian16 months after his retirement,” the BNP leader said.
Sachetan Nagorik Foundation arranged the discussion on the caretaker government issue in the current context of Bangladesh at a city hotel, marking its fresh journey as a civic platform for raising awareness among people about their rights and the welfare of the country.
Fakhrul welcome the new platform and hoped it will play a proactive role in creating awareness among people about democracy and the independence of the judiciary as most of its members are involved with the legal profession.
About the necessity of the polls-time neutral government, he said the Awami League first came up with the demand for a neutral interim government in 1994 and enforced hartal (general strike) for 173 days to establish their logic that the election could not be fair under a partisan government.
Later, Fakhrul said the then BNP government, led by Khaleda Zia, introduced the caretaker government system through the 13th amendment to the constitution considering the political culture in Bangladesh as the democratic institutions were not developed properly after the liberation of the country.
He said four acceptable elections were held under the caretaker government, but later it was annulled by Awami League as part of a plot for depoliticisation and staying in power without people’s votes until 2041.
Stating that around 65 per cent of the population of the country are youth, Fakhrul said it is necessary to organise the young people for the restoration of the caretaker government to establish peace, stability and a healthy political structure in Bangladesh.
He said the misrule of the Awami League government-- which has been staying in power by force and using the state machinery-- has crossed all the previous colonial and Pakistani rules and HM Ershad’s autocratic regime. “The Awami League government has completely turned Bangladesh into a failed state through its misrule.”
Quader should quit:
About Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader’s comment that Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project has turned into a major concern for the government, Fakhrul said commuters have long been facing serious ordeal due to this unplanned project.
“I see shops and ticket counters are being made in the middle of the road of the BRT project… I can’t understand what they’re exactly constructing. Mr Obaidul Quader said today (Sunday) that it (BRT) has become a matter of deep worry. It’s a shameless comment. He should have resigned before making such a remark as they themselves took this project,” he taunted.
The BNP leader said the government has been inflicting unbearable suffering on Dhaka city dwellers for nearly 10 years through the BRT project from Gazipur.
He said the journalist and civil society members are not raising their voices against the misdeeds of the government and the Digital Security Act. “What a terrible situation this government has created that we’re now afraid of expressing their opinions and writing freely. A reign of terror has been established. We never imagined seeing such a situation in Bangladesh.
Fakhrul urged the young lawyers to play an active role in freeing the judiciary from politicisation and restoring democracy and people’s rights.
BNP extorting money in the name of anti-govt rallies: Info Minister
In the name of holding anti-government rallies the BNP is extorting money from businessmen and portions of the extorted money are going to BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday.
“Grenade attacks took place during the tenure of the BNP with an aim to eliminate the entire leadership of the Awami League…they are holding rallies during the term of the Awami League without any difficulties. But they (the BNP) have taken a scheme of extorting money in the name of holding rallies,” he told reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
The minister said the BNP extorted money from businessmen during their recent divisional rally in Chattogram by injecting fear among the traders, and half of that money has been sent to Tarique Rahman.
Terming the BNP as a force of ‘petrol bombs’ the minister said it is such a party, which carried out arson attacks on the people and destroyed their property.
He also warned the BNP not to forget their past deeds as they had attacked many rallies of the Awami League in the past.
Responding to allegations by the BNP that police raided the homes of the BNP leaders and activists in Chattogram, the information minister said that the BNP had unleashed violence in the past, so police needed to stay alert ahead of the rally to avoid any untoward incident.
Replying to another question about the introduction of a resolution by US Congressmen declaring the Pakistan Army’s action against Bengalis and Hindus in 1971 as "genocide" and "crimes against humanity", Hasan thanked the US Congressmen as they placed the proposal.
“It must be acknowledged, and through this continued effort we will get March 25 recognised as the Genocide Day by the United Nations,” he hoped.
EC doing its job, not under any pressure: CEC
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal has said the Election Commission is not under any pressure, and is doing its job.
He said this in response to a question from journalists at Nirbachan Bhaban after visiting the Zila Parishad election monitoring cell on Sunday.
Read:Gaibandha-5 polls: Not a reckless decision, says CEC
Zila Parishad elections will be held tomorrow (October 17, 2022) – 9am to 2pm – in 57 districts.
The EC will monitor the polls through CCTV cameras, from the monitoring cell at Nirbachan Bhaban.
The Election Commission on Wednesday suspended the by-elections to Gainbandha-5 parliamentary seat over widespread allegations of vote rigging and voter intimidation.
The CEC said the practice of using CCTV cameras is recent. “We can monitor the elections from here. This is a good practice.”
“We belong to no party. We want voters to be able to cast their votes. We are using CCTV cameras for ensuring this,” he added.
Read:Deal with any intimidation in next polls, CEC asks DCs, SPs
In response to a question over how the EC will monitor so many centres through CCTV during the national polls, Election Commissioner Alamgir said, “There will be 400,000 polling booths at 40,000 or 42,000 polling stations during the national election. The five election commissioners alone will not monitor the national election, more manpower will be engaged for monitoring.”
In response to another question, the election commissioner said that CCTV cameras will be used in every centre during tomorrow’s Zila Parishad election, as done with Gaibandha-5 by-election.
Voting in the Zila Parishad elections will be held at 925 booths in 462 centres across the country and 60,866 voters will cast their votes.
Bangladeshis burning in hell, says GM Quader
Most people in the country are burning in hell, with the exception of those who are involved with the ruling party, according to Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader.
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition said this while speaking at a thana level conference of Jatiya Party at Uttarkhan Collegiate School ground on Saturday.
He said that the common people of the country are not able to meet their basic needs as they do not have sufficient money. "On the other hand, some are smuggling thousands of crores of taka abroad," he said.
The JP chief said people do not have food, clothing, education, medical care, and shelter, they do not have basic rights.
"But thousands of crores of taka are being looted in the name of development. Mega projects are being undertaken at the cost of thousands of crores of taka. But not a single project is completed on time. This proves that the feasibility of the projects is not being done properly," he said.
He said where people do not have basic rights, mega projects are being undertaken only for looting.
GM Quader also said that they have been opposing using EVMs in the elections from the very begining because it is not possible to challenge the election result in this system.
"If a candidate is unhappy with the election result, s/he cannot take legal action against it. There is no problem with EVMs, the problem lies in the man who operates the machine. Even if the EVMs work properly, those who operate the EVMs do not work impartially. Therefore, there is no chance of fair elections under an authoritarian government," GM Quader added.
The by-polls of Gaibandha-5 proved that fair polls are not possible under an authoritarian government. "Even if the Election Commission wants, a fair election will not be possible because Law enforcement agencies and administration are busy to please the government by turning irregularities into rules."
Referring to the current situation of the country, he said that the country is facing terrible load shedding now. The government cannot buy fuel oil due to the lack of dollars. As a result, the government is not able to produce electricity as per demand landing the export industry under threat. The number of unemployed people is increasing day by day.
"By promising about providing jobs from house to house, the government has created unemployment in every house," he said.
Jatiya Party Chairman said that FAO published a report last September where it mentioned that 45 countries of the world will face a food crisis. Among them, there were 9 countries in Asia and 3 countries in South Asia. Unfortunately, along with Sri Lanka and Pakistan in South Asia, Bangladesh is also on the
list. The country may face a severe food crisis but the government has no headache over the issue, he added.
Uttarkhan Thana Jatiya Party convenor Mahmudul Hasan Alal presided over the conference while Jatiya Party Presium Member and Metropolitan North Convener Shafiqul Islam Sentu inaugurated it.
Advisor to Quader and also the convenor of the party's cultural wing Jatiya Sangskritik Party Sharifa Quader also spoke as a special guest.
AL regime to be swept away by strong movement: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday warned that the Awami League government has established ‘autocracy’ in the name of democracy, but such a repressive regime would be washed away by the strong wave of the anti-government movement as people have now woken up.
Speaking at a massive rally, he also said the recent by-election to the Gaibandha-5 parliamentary seat proved the BNP’s observation true that no fair election could be held under the Awami League government.
“Terrorism and theft are there in the Awami League’s body chemistry from where they never can come out. So, they often shout, attack people with sticks, and issue threats and warnings. The People of Bangladesh are not afraid of your arrogance and threats. People have now woken up. Awami League will be swept away by the raging wave of our movement that has started from Teknaf toTentulia,” Fakhrul said.
As part of the party’s planned divisional programmes, Mymensingh city unit BNP organised the rally in the Polytechnic Institute field with the participation of thousands of their activists and leaders.
A chair preserved for the chief guest of the rally was vacant on the stage in honour of party chairperson Khaleda Zia. Mymensingh city unit BNP convener Professor AKM Shafiqul Islam presided over the rally.
The organisers said the rally was meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jashore, and to ensure the unconditional release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Saturday’s rally was the second rally by the BNP at the divisional level as the first one was held in Chattogram last Wednesday. The party will conclude the divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.
‘People won’t concede’
Speaking at the rally, BNP leaders alleged that an ‘undeclared’ transport strike was imposed in Mymensingh and its adjoining districts since morning to prevent opposition leaders and activists from joining the rally.
Jabbar-er Boli Khela draws bigger crowd than BNP's Ctg rally: Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said that despite a lot of campaigning for three months, BNP’s Chattogram rally was actually a "flop" programme.
“Chattogram’s traditional wrestling competition ‘Jabbar-er Boli Khela’ draws bigger crowd than the recently held BNP rally in the port city,” he said.
The minister came up with the remarks while talking to local journalists on Saturday at Chattogram Circuit House after a meeting with local Awami League leaders and members of the parliament.
Awami League will hold rallies and marches in every upazila and unions of Chattogram next month and a district rally in the city later, he said.
The BNP leaders made a lot of offensive comments in the rally they held in the port city on Wednesday, he alleged.
“At that rally they gathered terrorists from different parts of Chattogram and chalked out a plan to create anarchy across the country, including in the port city. In that context we have met today to review the political situation and discuss our course of action,” said Hasan.
They had claimed 15 lakh people would join their mass rally but in reality they couldn’t even fill up one third of the Polo Ground even after bringing people from Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf, he said.
Replying to a journalist’s question he said, BNP has been continuing the movement to oust the government for the last 14 years.
Through this movement, they have become more detached from the people of the country as the Awami League has been elected to form government three times amid their movement, he added.