Describing the current government as a "regime of robbers", BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said no credible election can be held under it.

“It would be wrong to call this government a thief. It’s a regime of robbers. Wherever you look, you will only find plundering. They did the same thing in the past,” he said.

Fakhrul was addressing a biennial council of BNP’s Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila unit on Public Library premises in the district town.

He said fair and acceptable elections were never held under the Awami League government since the birth of the country.

“The same thing happened during the election under the Awami League government in 1973. “So, there can never be a fair election under an Awami League government,” the BNP leader said.

He claimed that nine people were shot dead while 7,500 people were implicated in over 700 cases centering the 2014 election.

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“They themselves burnt vehicles and election offices during the last general election, but cases were filed against our leaders and workers. Their houses were raided, forcing them to leave their areas,” Fakhrul alleged.

He said the government could not suppress BNP leaders and activists by filing ‘false’ cases against them.

The BNP leader said the country’s people are going through a very tough time due to the misrule of the current regime.

“We used to call Thakurgaon a place of peace. People here love to be at peace. Before 2014, the people of this area did not see (political) cases. But BNP leaders and activists have endured huge pains and sufferings facing false cases,” Fakhrul said.

He also said many BNP leaders and activists had to hide in paddy fields at night amid bitter cold in fear of getting arrested. “They had to spend nights on trees. They did not forget that sufferings and pangs. Each such incident will be accounted (at a suitable time).”

The BNP leader called upon his party colleagues to drum up public support to create a mass upsurge to oust the AL government.

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“We’ve been on a struggle for a long time and we’ve suffered a lot. But we did not give up. We will not give up. We’ll free our leader Khaleda Zia…movement is the only way left for us,” he said.