“Awami league established a one-party rule in 1975 annihilating democracy. In the same style, they've now formed a government and parliament without people’s mandate by snatching people’s all the basic rights destroying democratic institutions using state machinery and resorting to terrorism to restore its one-party rule,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Speaking at a human chain programme, he further said, “We turn down the election results just after the voting. Today, we renew our demand for reelection annulling the election results so that a government and parliament can be formed with people’s verdict.”
Just four hours before the 11th Parliament going into its maiden session, the BNP leader came up with the demand.
BNP arranged the human chain programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club protesting the start of the maiden session of the new Parliament.
Fakhrul alleged that the new parliament was formed through a ‘fake’ election on December 30 where law enforcers indulged in ‘vote robbery by snatching people’s voting rights’.
He said their party’s thousands of leaders and activists were kept away from the election by arresting them before the polls. “They (AL) have cemented all conspiracies to turn the country into a failed state by annihilating democracy and snatching people’s rights by creating an awful situation.”
The BNP leader also alleged that their party chairperson Khaleda Zia was sent to jail convicting her in a ‘false’ case ahead of the election.
He demanded the government immediately release Khaleda and other arrested party leaders and activists from jail.
Fakhrul also called people of all walks of life irrespective of their political belief and opinion to get united to protect people’s voting and other rights, and form a new government through holding a credible election.
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the government and the Election Commission announced the names of so-called MPs through a plot on December 30 instead of holding a credible election.
“The current parliament is illegal as it was not formed with people’s mandate. This’s a so-called and stigmatised parliament. This’s a parliament of vote robbery,” he observed.
The BNP leader demanded a fresh delectation as their party does not accept the current parliament.
BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed said they have got stunned and surprised as the way the December-30 election was held. “We never expected to watch such an election.”
Mentioning that they have already turned down the election results, he demanded that a fresh and fair election be held immediately under a neutral government.
The BNP leader also urged the government to quit revoking the new parliament. “Let’s wage a united movement to restore democracy in Bangladesh through holding a fresh election by the next six months.”
Another BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said the MPs of the current parliament are not people’s representatives as they were bade MPs through ‘fake’ votes.
He alleged that the current parliament was formed through ‘vote terrorism’ unleashed by police and administration.
Leaders and followers of the party formed the human chain around 10:30 am in front of the Jatiya Press Club, 30 minutes before the scheduled time. The programme ended around 11:56 am.
They chanted various slogans demanding reelection and the release of their chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.
It was the first political programme of BNP after the party’s drubbing in the December-30 election. But the presence of party leaders and activists were thinner at the human chain compared to other such programmes it arranged before the polls.
Meanwhile, a huge number of law enforcers were deployed around the Jatiya Press Club to fend off any possible trouble, but no one was arrested from the programme.