Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday stated that voting rights must be guaranteed to prevent conspiracies, while party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir warned that overthrown prime minister Sheikh Hasina, holed up in India, was hatching deep plots against the country.
Their statements came while they were addressing separate programmes on the day.
While virtually inaugurating a training programme for the leaders and activists of the Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman said that conspiracies against the country continued, and it could not be stopped until democracy was restored.
‘Nothing good can happen if accountability is not ensured. Election must be organised,’ Tarique stressed.
At a separate discussion organised by the Youth Forum on the day at the High Court Auditorium, Fakrul said that Sheikh Hasina was making a deep conspiracy against the country.
‘So we have to proceed with caution...an opportunity to rebuild the country has come through the students’ movement. But fallen dictators are still weaving a new web of intrigues. They [people] have to stand against all conspiracies,’ he said.
Saying that the fellow accomplices of the fascists started resurfacing due to the negative talks among democratic forces, Fakrul stated, ‘Note that the fascists have started raising their heads again due to various negative statements and discussions. Unfortunately, a section of the media is promoting this, which I believe, will never bring good for people.’
He urged the media and those conducting negative campaigns to refrain from doing so.
‘I also urge the youth to take a stand and work to stop this trend,’ he added.
Fakhrul said that the only way to overcome the crisis facing the nation is through patience, the completion of necessary state reforms and holding a fair and credible election.
He urged that the opportunity to rebuild the state, now created through the student-led mass uprising, must not be missed.
‘If this opportunity is lost, our very existence as a nation will be under threat. I want to make this point very clear,’ he said.
The BNP leader also highlighted that students and politicians and all other quarters endorsed the current interim government.
‘We have entrusted them with this responsibility with the hope that they would clean up the mess created by Awami League over the past 16 years, and organise a credible election. Through that election, we can build the new Bangladesh that the youths aspire to,’ he stated.
Pointing out the reason for the party’s repeated call for elections, the secretary general said that they were stressing the matter because they believed that no reform initiatives could succeed without the active participation of people.
With the parliament made effective, democratic culture and practice could be ensured in the country, he added.
Addressing the programme, Ganosamhati Andolon chief coordinator Zonayed Saki said that it was now a challenge for politicians to realise the dreams and desires of the youths for which they sacrificed so much during the student-led mass uprising to free the country from fascism.
Zonayed Saki stressed state reforms to ensure a balance of power and prevent the resurgence of fascism.
He also said that the youth must play a crucial role in keeping the country on the right track of democracy and safeguarding the people’s rights.
