Won’t sit idle if election is delayed, warns BNP

BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Thursday warned that their party leaders and workers will not sit idle if the next national election is not held within a reasonable time.

"We want the people who won the country to elect their representatives to form a parliament and government with their votes through a free, fair and impartial election. This was the main point of the revolution,” he said.

Speaking at a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club, the BNP leader said the nation has entrusted the interim government with the responsibility to hold the election to restore their voting rights.

He said their party will provide the government with a reasonable timeframe for holding the next election.  “If that time passes, Ziaur Rahman‍‍`s BNP, under the leadership of Tariq Rahman, will certainly not sit at home and eat peanuts. We will take necessary actions based on reality in the future.”

Gayeshwar, a BNP standing committee member, said that they will observe what the government does for some days. “Then we will do what we have done in the past. A death warrant is not significant for us. None of us can be killed when we are ready to die.”

Jagrata Bangladesh arranged the discussion titled ‘The responsibilities of the Interim Government and Political Parties in the current context of the country’.

Without mentioning the name of any political party, Gayeshwar said some parties demonstrate through their activities that they are coming to power.

"There’s no doubt that they are oppressed, but they did not liberate the country... we did it. The nationalist forces of Bangladesh liberated the country with the declaration of independence by Ziaur Rahman, who is the greatest freedom fighter of the country. He’s also the political figure who believed in democracy," he observed.

The BNP leader said the interim government has banned the Chhatra League, which is a bold move. "We do not object to it, but whatever actions you take, consider the potential aftereffects."

He mentioned that the deposed Awami League regime hanged many leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and subjected them to torture. "But Jamaat did not ban a fascist like Sheikh Hasina."

Rizvi said those who committed atrocities under the banner of various organisations and institutions and killed people and engaged in plundering are still living comfortably. "They should be held accountable and an example should be set for the consequences of wrongdoing."

He questioned how so many people crossed the border and went abroad, asking, "Thanks to whom? Who encouraged and assisted them in escaping? Who will answer for this? Those who took shelter in the cantonment, how did they get abroad? Who provided the opportunity for criminals to escape without facing justice? Will the government answer for this?"

The BNP leader called upon BNP leaders and workers to remain vigilant to prevent a constitutional crisis in the country.