The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is firm in its demand for holding the next parliamentary elections within December this year to transition to democracy and carry out state reforms promptly.
The party insiders said they have also decided to start organising issue-based programmes from the end of April, instead of going for tougher agitation to realise their demand, as they want to allow the interim government to bring necessary election-centric reforms.
“We think that election is the only path to transitioning to democracy. We want the national election to be held this December. The chief adviser also declared so. We also want the current interim government to give a specific roadmap for the polls immediately,” BNP Standing Committee Member Selima Rahman told the Daily Sun.
She said the party will take its next course of action after seeing the government’s measures regarding the polls, and they are waiting for the move.
The BNP Standing Committee held a meeting with its acting chairman Tarique Rahman in the chair on Monday night and discussed the country’s current political situation, the next general elections, and their next course of action, the sources present at the meeting said.
In the meeting, the party’s policymaking body decided that after BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir returns from Singapore, a delegation from the party will meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and submit their demand to declare a specific roadmap for holding the elections, a leader of the party told the Daily Sun, wishing not to be named.
Following the meeting with Prof Yunus, the party will decide its next course of action, like organising some programmes on public issues and some other activities to press home their demand for holding the polls within December, he added.
Tarique Rahman joined the meeting of the BNP Standing Committee virtually from London. This was the first meeting of the party’s policymakers after Eid-ul-Fitr.
The meeting discussed several agendas, including the issue of the electoral roadmap and reforms. BNP submitted its party opinion on recommendations of five reform commissions to the National Consensus Commission on March 23. The party’s opinion is in favor of reforms.
The BNP policymakers observed that their party has repeatedly expressed its position on the issue of reforms, with which it is cooperating. BNP believes that the government should quickly complete the reforms related to elections and hold them by December this year.
The party also believes that the government can implement all the reforms related to elections through an ordinance, while the remaining reforms will be implemented by the next elected parliament through a political consensus.
However, BNP leaders said the party is still not sure about the timeframe that the government has mentioned regarding the elections, as the latest statement from the government – that the elections will be held between December this year and June next year – has created concern among the party and confused people.
They further said the BNP believes that the statement of Chief Adviser Prof Yunus regarding the polls is not a specific roadmap. “Because the government is saying different things about the elections at different times,” said a central leader of the party.
The BNP Secretary General went to Singapore on April 6 for medical treatment, and he is scheduled to return to Dhaka after a week.
The party Standing Committee also discussed that BNP is cooperating with the government in various ways and will continue to do so in the future; so, they do not want to go on any major programmes on the election roadmap issue.
Taking into account the expectations of BNP’s policymakers, the reality of the interim government, the political situation, and global demands, the national election will be organised by next December.
“BNP wants elections by next December. The party believes that if elections are held quickly, various crises of the country will gradually end and stability will return to the country. That’s why BNP has taken the decision to meet the chief adviser very soon to clearly know what the government is really thinking about the elections or what their position is,” a BNP leader said.
Sources at BNP said it may hold rallies in divisional cities, including the capital, to press home their demands, reinvigorate the party leaders and activists, and drum up public support in favour of their demands.
“We do not think now that we have to go for a movement against the government to realise the demand for election. We believe that, as per the demand of the country’s people, this interim government will arrange polls immediately to establish democracy,” BNP Media Cell Member Secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie told the Daily Sun.
Annie, also BNP’s Joint Secretary General, further said currently they are working to reorganise the party and prepare it for the polls, as they couldn’t carry out their party activities for a long time during the previous autocratic regime.
“We are cooperating with this interim government. We do not want to go for any harsher movement against it. However, we want to keep the government under pressure, as a conspiracy is being hatched to delay the election,” another BNP leader told the Daily Sun, wishing not to be named.
Courtesy: Daily Sun
Bd-Pratidin English/FNC
