Dhaka, Nov 16 (UNB) - Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said BNP is now speaking desperately as it has become desperate losing public support.

"BNP has become desperate and it’s now speaking desperately as their position is at the bottom in the barometer of public support," he said while addressing a press conference at AL president’s Dhanmondi political office in the morning.
    
The AL leader said those had long been uttering democracy in their mouths are ‘imposters’. “They’ve compromised with the communal forces only to win the election. They’ll be considered as the communal forces and Awami League's fight is against them."

Replying to a query about BNP's allegation that huge BNP men were arrested after the announcement of the election schedule and that there is no level-playing field for the general election, he said they burned police vehicles, unleashed vandalism and injured almost 20 policemen. “Will they get away with no punishment?”

"How did they dare attack police after the announcement of the schedule? This is a criminal offence. Is filing case against a criminal a crime? This type of offence won't go without punishment," Quader said.

He said police are not interfering in any election matter. “We’re tolerating so that people can cast their votes in a peaceful environment," he said, adding that their tolerance should not be seen as weaknesses.

The ruling party leader also said BNP has resorted to its old path of ‘arson and terrorism’ through launching the attack on police at Nayapaltan as they have no public support.

Dhaka, Nov 16 (UNB) – Though the alliance is set to enter the election race, Jatiya Oikyafront leaders on Friday could not clear who will be the prime minister if it wins the next general election.
 
While exchanging views with the editors of print media at a city hotel, they said they will take the decision in this regard following discussions after the election, said Amader Natun Shomoy Editor Naimul Islam Khan.
 
While talking to reporters emerging from the meeting midway, he said bdnews24.com editor-in-chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi raised the question at the meeting.
 
In reply, Dr Kamal Hossain said the majority parties will sit and take the decision who will be the prime minister after discussion if they come out victorious in the election, Naimul Islam said.
 
However, Toufique Imrose Khalidi, while talking to reporters, also half-way through, said he did not get any clear answer to his question from the Oikyafront leaders.
 
Khalidi said he told the Oikyafront leaders that Britain, India and other democratic countries make it clear before the election who will be the prime minister and they should also do it.
 
The views-exchange meeting of the Jatiya Oikyafront leaders with the editors of print media began around 3:30pm at Hotel Lakeshore and ended around 5:30pm.
 
Naimul Islam said the meeting began with the deliberations of Dr Kamal Hossain and BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
 
In their speeches, they wanted to know what should be done to hold the 11th parliamentary elections in a free and fair manner, he said.
 
Mentioning that verses from the religious books of all regions are read and there are discussions on the country’s independence and Bangabandhu at their rallies, Amader Natun Shomoy Editor asked the Oikyafront leaders whether it is the outcome of their collective thought.
 
However, they did not give any instant answer to the question and said they will do it later, he said.

 
They also did not reply to his question as to how they will celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the independence and the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2021 if they win or lose the next election, Naimul Islam said, adding that they said they would give the reply later.
 
Apart from Dr Kamal Hossain and Fakhrul, BNP senior leaders Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, JSD president Abdur Rob, Nagorik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna attended the programme.
 
Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman, New Age editor Nurul Kabir, Manabzamin editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, News Today editor Moslem Uddin Ahmed, Dhaka Tribune editor Zafar Sobhan, Holiday editor Kamaluddin Ahmed and weekly Saptahik editor Golam Mortaza were, among others, present.

Dhaka, Nov 16 (UNB)-Jatiya Oikyafront leaders, led by Dr Kamal Hossain, are exchanging views with editors of print media at Hotel Lakeshore in the city on Friday.

The view-exchanging programme began at 3:30pm.

 BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, its senior leaders Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, JSD president Abdur Rob, Nagorik Oikya convenor Mahmudur Rahman Manna, among others, are attending the programme.

Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman, New Age editor Nurul Kabir, Manabzamin editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, , News Today editor Moslemuddin Ahmed,  bdnews24 editor-in-chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi, Dhaka Tribune editor Zafar Sobhan, Holiday editor Kamaluddin Ahmed,  weekly Saptahik editor Golam Mortaza, among others, are also present.

Dhaka, Nov 16 (UNB) – BNP on Friday sought the intervention of the Election Commission (EC) in stopping the arrest and harassment of its leaders and activists, and withdrawal of ‘false and fictitious cases’ filed against them.
 
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the request in a letter sent to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda.
 
He also urged the Commission to take steps for the release of all the arrested leaders and activists of BNP and its alliance partners in ‘false’ cases.
 
M Salahuddin Khan, an official of BNP’s Nayapaltan office, carried the letter to the Election Commission and handed it over to the EC official concerned in the morning, BNP assistant office secretary Taiful Islam Tipu told UNB.
 
In the letter, Fakhrul said, “Hundreds of cases are being filed against BNP leaders and activists, and they are being arrested even after the announcement of the election schedule. Law enforcers are also creating obstacles to nomination seekers from coming to BNP’s Nayapaltan central office while several hundred leaders and activists have been arrested."
 
Defying the Commission’s order, he alleged, the law enforcers set up check-posts on different link roads around the BNP office and they are harassing opposition leaders and activists. “Even, they’re snatching nomination papers and damaging those.”
 
Fakhrul said their 60-70 leaders and workers were arrested on Wednesday alone while a drive to arrest the opposition activists is going on.
 
“The credibility of the election will be questioned if such arrests and harassment continue. The law enforcers come under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission after the announcement of the election schedule. So, we expect your intervention to stop the filing of false and fictitious cases and the arrest of our leaders and activists by law enforcers,” he said.
 
The party also sent a list of 472 BNP leaders and workers who were arrested in different cases after the announcement of the schedule for the 11th parliamentary elections on November 8.

Dhaka, Nov 16 (UNB) – BNP will start interviewing its nomination hopefuls from Sunday to finalise the candidates who will contest the 11th parliamentary elections with its tickets.

The party nomination board, comprising BNP standing committee members, will take the interview at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

He said the interview will start with those who bought party nomination forms for Rangpur division’s Panchagar-1 constituency.

Besides, the interview of the nomination seekers of Rajshahi division will also be taken the same day.

He urged the presidents and secretaries of the city, district and upazila units under the respective divisions to be present during the interview.

BNP sold 4,112 nomination papers over the last four days among the aspirants who want to contest the 11th parliamentary elections with its tickets. The nomination sale will end tonight (Friday night). 

Of the total, 1,326 forms were sold on the first day on Monday while 1,896 on Tuesday, 488 on Wednesday and 402 as of 4pm on Thursday.

On Monday morning, the party formally started the nomination paper sale with the purchase of three nomination papers for its jailed chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda on Monday announced a fresh reschedule for the 11th parliamentary elections saying the polls will be held on December 30 instead of December 23.

The last date for submission of nomination papers is November 28 instead of November 19, he added.