BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday alleged the country is witnessing 'a storm of arrests' of opposition leaders and activists as the government wants to stage a mockery in the name of election.
Speaking at a virtual press briefing, he said they will come up with more action programmes after their ongoing 48-hour blockade to force the government to quit and hold the next polls under a non-party neutral administration.
Rizvi, however, urged the BNP leaders and workers to remain alert as the government may carry out different untoward incidents to shift the blame onto the opposition.
“A storm of arrests is going on all over the country. You (govt) are not sparing anyone from the national level to the grassroots in that arrest drive. Those who are in power behaving like terrible robbers,” he said.
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Besides, the BNP leader said law enforcers are arresting BNP leaders and activists and releasing some of them in exchange for money. “They’re also not releasing someone even after taking money.”
He slammed Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader for mocking BNP leaders for going into hiding and holding virtual press briefings.
“Obaidul Quader asks with laughter, where are the BNP leaders? He (Quader) said we hold briefings from the cave…Tikka Khan (military commander in East Pakistan during the 1971 Liberation War) used to make such comments after carrying out a ruthless military crackdown and Operation Searchlight,” Rizvi said.
He said the people of Bangladesh could not protest publicly against the brutality of Pakistani occupation forces as they had to move from their homes, and villages and cross the borders of the country.
“At that time, Tikka Khan and Niazi said exactly the same thing… they called the freedom fighters miscreants. Obaidul Quader is now using exactly the same language,” the BNP leader observed.
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Rizvi said the same situation that prevailed in 1971 is now prevailing in Bangladesh because of the government’s suppressive acts.
He also said Obaidul Quader is now following the role of Tikka Khan and Niazi and shedding the blood of people as part of a process of eliminating opposition parties and BNP from Bangladesh.
"They (govt) will stage a mockery in the name of an election in a quiet atmosphere and the Chief Election Commissioner will announce the names of the winning candidates according to the list of Sheikh Hasina," the BNP leader said.
He also said the rule of law can not be established in a country where the police themselves are throwing cocktails from riot cars.
“How can the police be considered as a friend of the people in this country…they (police) are working as musclemen of Sheikh Hasina making people their enemies," Rizvi alleged.
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In such circumstances, Rizvi called upon the BNP leaders and workers to remain alert in observing their political programmes: “The government may try to sabotage in various ways and put the blame on the leaders and workers of BNP.”
He said more than 261 BNP leaders and activists were arrested across the country in the last 24 hours as of 5 pm Saturday.
Besides, nine fresh cases were filed accusing 1,060 people during the same period.
He also claimed that 5,284 BNP leaders and activists were arrested in 122 fresh cases while 3,498 opposition leaders and followers were injured and nine others and a journalist were killed in different incidents of clashes and attacks centring BNP’s October 28 grand rally and subsequent hartal and blockades.