“The usurper government has snatched people’s voting rights and violated the constitution. They robbed of people’s verdict like dacoits,” he said while talking to reporters after offering fateha at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R).
Fakhrul said people have got shocked and aggrieved across the country as they could not exercise their right to franchise on December 30.
Replying to a question, he said Jatiya Oikyafront will join the proposed talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina if election-centric agenda is fixed.
“We don’t know what will be the agenda of the talks. Our only agenda is to have the election revoked. Jatiya Oikyafront will consider joining the dialogue if election-centric agenda is fixed,” he added.
Fakhrul, also the spokesman of Oikyafront, said the December-30 election must be annulled and the current ‘incompetent’ Election Commission will have to be reconstituted to hold a fresh national election under a non-party neutral government.
“The government will have to be formed through holding a credible election under an impartial government and Election Commission,” he said.
The BNP leader said the fresh initiative for dialogue will not be fruitful like the one held before the 11th parliamentary election if their demand for holding a fresh national election under a non-party government is not accepted.
Responding to another question, Fakhrul said Oikyafront remains intact and there is no conflict among its partners.
Asked whether their party will join the upcoming upazila elections, the BNP leader did not give any specific answer, saying elections to the local bodies are not that much important like parliamentary one as the government cannot be changed by such polls.
Fakhrul together with Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rob) president ASM Abdur Rob, Krishak Sramik Janata League president Abdul Kader Siddiqui, Gono Forum executive president Subrata Chowdhury and general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu reached Sylhet by air around 11:45am.
From the airport, they went to the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R).
They also offered fateha at the shrines Shah Paran (R) before going to violence-hit Balaganj upazila where a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader was gunned down by criminals on December 30, the voting day.
The Oikyafront leaders also offered fateha at the grave of slain Balaganj JCD general secretary Sayem Ahmed Sohel, and met his bereaved family members to console them.
They also addressed a meeting arranged by Balaganj’s Gouripur union unit JCD in memory of Sayem Ahmed.
Speaking at the programme, Fakhrul said Sayem embraced martyrdom to protect people’s voting rights.
JCD leader Sayem Ahmed was shot to death during a clash over occupying Azizpur Government Primary School polling centre in Balaganj upazila on December 30.