In obvious reference to India BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday alleged that a country is directly interfering in Bangladesh to hold a ‘dummy’ election on January 7.

Talking to reporters while distributing leaflets in the city’s Dhanmondi area, he also called upon the country’s people to boycott the stage-managed election.

“The Prime Minister yesterday (Thursday) said that conspiracies are going on in the country and abroad regarding the election. It’s you who are conspiring against the election. A neighbouring country is directly interfering to hold a dummy election in Bangladesh,” the BNP leader said.

He, however, did not mention India by name.

Rizvi also accused the government of trying to turn Bangladesh into a vassal state by sacrificing the country's independence and sovereignty only to retain power. “But people won’t let their blueprint to succeed.”

He said no election will be held in Bangladesh on January 7. “It’s an election of seat sharing and distribution. It’s a farcical election.”

Stating that people are the owners of the country, the BNP leader also said the government is trying to dodge foreigners by holding a dummy election ignoring public opinion. “The government won't succeed, no matter how many conspiracies they resort to.”

"We urge the voters to boycott this dummy election... stay home on polling day, don't go to the polling stations. Say no to this illegal election without going to the polling stations," he said.

As part of their party’s countrywide programme, Rizvi along with some BNP leaders and workers distributed leaflets at the kitchen market at Dhanmondi-15 in the capital in the morning.

BNP and like-minded opposition parties have been observing a leaflet distribution and mass contact programme to drum up public support in favour of their call for boycotting the Januray-7 election and not cooperating with the Awami League government.

On Thursday, the party extended the mass contact and leaflet distribution programme for another two days until Saturday.

BNP along with nearly three dozen opposition political parties have been carrying out a simultaneous movement since December 10 last year to force the current government to quit and hold the 12th parliamentary election under a non-party neutral administration.

BNP’s movement lost its momentum following clashes with law enforcers centring the party’s grand rally on October 28 as many senior leaders, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, were arrested while many others went into hiding in the face of a crackdown by the law enforcers.

However, BNP and like-minded parties enforced countrywide blockades for 23 days in 12 phases and hartals for five days in four spells since October 29.

Finally, the opposition party came up with the call for a non-cooperation movement on December 20.