BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday alleged that the government has amended the RPO in a bid to establish its full control on the country’s electoral system and usurp power again through a 'unilateral election.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with the liaison committee of Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, he also said they will very soon announce the final course of their movement to unseat the current regime.

 “The Election Commission had the authority to cancel the entire election of any area. But the government amended this provision of the RPO in Parliament, curbing the EC’s power. It’s clear that the government amended the RPO to establish its full control on the electoral system,” Fakhrul said.

He also said the latest RPO amendment is completely against a free and fair election.

 “By abolishing the RPO provision through the amendment, the government has once again proved that they want to hold the election by force in their own style, depriving the people of their right to vote. This government has been in power by snatching the voting rights of people,” the BNP leader alleged.

Read: It’s not appropriate time to comment: CEC tells media on passage of RPO amendment by Parliament

He said people will restore their voting rights by forcing the government to quit handing over power to a non-party-neutral government through the current movement.

The Representation of the People Order (RPO) (Amendment) Bill, 2023’ was passed in Parliament on Tuesday with the key amendment authorising the Election Commission to postpone or cancel the results or voting of one or more than one polling stations in any number of constituencies on polling day, but not the entire election to a constituency.

Fakhrul alleged that the current ‘fascist’ regime has destroyed people’s all hopes and aspirations through its misrule for the last 14 years. “They have been staying in power with unilateral and stage-managed elections in 2014 and 2018 by deceiving people with the help of the state machinery. “So, people have long been deprived of their voting rights.”

Read: RPO (Amendment) Bill, 2023 placed in JS

He said they have been carrying out a simultaneous movement with 36 parties to restore voting rights, ensure democracy and democratic rights, the independence of the judiciary and press freedom and turn Bangladesh into a truly democratic country.

“We’re holding talks with the opposition parties who are with us on the streets to take the movement to the final stage. We’ll announce our final course of action very soon through discussions with all parties," the BNP leader said.

He said they will also talk to the 12-party alliance, Ganatantra Mancha and other alliances and parties to finalise their decision on the one-point anti-government movement. 

“One thing is sure that this movement will be the final one. People from all walks of life will be involved with this movement and they’ll take back their rights," Fakhrul said.

Read more: Amended RPO passed by voice vote in JS

Fariduzzaman Farhad, chairman of the National People's Party and ‘Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, said they reached a consensus with BNP to actively observe all the programmes taken by the party to make their final movement a success.

“We won’t return home until the fall of Sheikh Hasina,” he said.