Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said BNP does not want an election, rather it wants someone to take over after ousting the government — who would finally put the party in power. “They don’t want elections. They rather want something to come to power, ousting the government, which would install them in office — bringing them with ‘nagardola’ or ‘palki’. That is their expectation,” she said. The premier was addressing a huge public rally, arranged by Chattogram City Unit of Awami League at the Polo Ground in the port city. Sheikh Hasina, in her speech delivered from a 160ft boat-shaped stage, said BNP has two skills: vote-rigging and killing people. “They know if election is held, people would not vote for killers,” she said. Read more: PM inaugurates, lays foundation stones of 35 projects in Chattogram “They (BNP) don’t care about the people. If Awami League comes to power, we work for the people,” she added. Referring to the arson attacks unleashed in 2013-2015 by BNP, the PM said one day Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman will have to answer to the people as to why they burnt and killed so many. “People will take account of it one day,” she said. ‘December 10 a favourite date for BNP’ Sheikh Hasina, also AL president, criticised BNP for choosing December 10 as the date for their final divisional rally.

Accusing the government of turning Bangladesh into a crematorium, BNP leaders on Wednesday said that removing the ruling Awami League from power was the only option to restore democracy in the country. “We fought the War of Liberation for democracy. After 50 years of independence, we are fighting again for its restoration. It’s a big and tough struggle, and we must win it,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a massive anti-government rally in Chattogram.  “We have no other alternative but to win this battle. Either we’ll turn victorious, or we’ll die in this fight,” he told his supporters on Polo Ground in the city. He warned that if their current movement fails, democracy will vanish from the country and the nation’s existence will be at stake.  “We want to get democracy and people’s rights back,” he said.  As part of the party’s planned divisional programmes, Chattogram city unit BNP organised the rally in the port city where tens of thousands of their activists and leaders joined.  Wednesday’s programme was the first divisional rally to denounce the ongoing power crisis, unusual price hikes of daily essentials and killing of five opposition activists in police firing in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jashore during recent anti-government protests.   The BNP on September 27 announced to hold public rallies in all divisional cities. The party will conclude the divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.  On Wednesday, Mirza Fakhrul also accused the government of destroying the country’s economy and all the state institutions by indulging in corruption and plundering over the last 15 years.  This monstrous regime of Awami League had turned Bangladesh into a crematorium. “They looted public money and laundered it abroad,” he said.  Referring to the US sanctions on RAB, the BNP Secretary General said the sanctions should be imposed now on the government instead of the elite force. “Because the incidents of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing have been carried out at the behest of the government.”  Fakhrul also said the United Nations and different international human rights agencies say that enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings take place in Bangladesh as the judiciary cannot function independently. About the Election Commission's recent meeting with deputy commissioners and superintendents of police, Fakhrul said police and bureaucrats such as DCs are least bothered about what the Election Commission says, as they only follow the instructions of the Prime Minister.  "So, a credible election is not possible without a neutral government,” he said..  Noting that the current government is an unelected one, he said that it has no mandate to rule the country. “The people of the country didn’t accept this regime.” The BNP leader said people are going through serious ordeals as the prices of daily commodities have gone up abnormally Read:BNP rally going on amid tight security in Chattogram