BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said Gonoshasthaya Kendra Founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury is no one of them who advised their party to accept the newly formed Election Commission (EC).

“The comments Dr Zafrullah made on the Election Commission were his personal ones. I respect him a lot. He’s a very good man. But he’s no one to tell the BNP to accept the Election Commission,” he said.

READ: BNP not to join polls under AL: Fakhrul

Fakhrul made the remarks at a rally in front of the BNP office in the city’s Natun Bazar area.

Mymensingh city unit BNP arranged the rally protesting the growing price hike of essentials and the utility services.

On Sunday, Dr Zafrullah thanked the President for appointing his “recommended candidate” as the new Chief Election Commissioner and asked BNP to accept the Commission.

On Saturday, President Abdul Hamid appointed former defence secretary Kazi Habibul Awal as the new Chief Election Commissioner.

Based on the search committee’s recommendations, he also appointed Brigadier General Ahsan Habib Khan (retd), former district and sessional judge Begum Rashida Sultana, former senior secretaries Mohammad Alamgir and Anisur Rahman as the four other commissioners of the new EC.

Fakhrul said they believe that fair and credible elections cannot be held under the Awami League government, no matter with whom the EC was formed.

 He said their party will not go to the next polls if Awami League stays in power during the election period.

“People want an acceptable election under a neutral government for the restoration of democracy. There’s still time to hand over power to a neutral government quitting power as per people’s hopes and aspirations,” the BNP leader said, pointing at the current regime.

He criticised the government for the soaring prices of essential commodities and power, gas and water. “The reason for increasing the prices of everything is corruption.”

Before the election in 2008, Fakhrul recalled that Awami League had promised to provide people with per kg rice at Tk10, but now there is no rice below Tk60 per kg while the price of per litre soybean oil is Tk 200. “People are going through serious ordeals to cope with the growing price hike of all essentials.”

Awami League is a party of frauds. Whenever the Awami League has come to power, they have cheated people.”

READ: BNP wants election under non-party govt like in 1991: Fakhrul

He alleged that 35 lakh BNP leaders and workers have been implicated in false cases while around 600 others disappeared to subdue the political opponents of the ruling party.

He demanded the government to withdraw the cases filed against BNP leaders and activists and free Khaleda Zia without any condition.