The Crime Desk: BNP wants to announce the election roadmap by next December. The party said that if the interim government does not clarify the roadmap by this time, it will take to the streets. This decision was taken at the party’s highest policy-making forum standing committee meeting last Monday (November 4) night.
The party’s top leaders were present in the meeting held under the chairmanship of BNP Acting Chairman Tariq Rahman at the chairperson’s political office in Gulshan. Tariq Rahman was connected to the meeting virtually from London.
According to sources in the meeting, BNP’s position on the issue of elections and reforms is that they will cooperate with the interim government so that the government can organize a free and fair election. The party believes that reform of the government’s state structure and election preparations can go hand in hand. They have no objection to it. Because BNPO wants necessary reforms. For this reason, the party has also agreed with the reform proposal of the government.
Apart from the ten reform commissions announced by the government, BNP has also formed six committees, which they call shadow committees. They will give the recommendations of these committees to the government. However, BNP leaders say that reforms are an ongoing process. It will continue. Reforms are also mentioned in the 31-point outline of their state structure repair. However, the people of the country have been deprived of voting rights for a long time. They are now eager to vote. People want quick elections. Therefore, the government should organize elections quickly after the necessary reforms towards elections. For this reason, the government was asked by the BNP to prioritize the Election Commission (EC), administration, and judiciary.
Although three months of the term have passed, as the interim government has not yet clarified the roadmap, what are their thoughts about the elections, or how long they want to stay in power without elections or whether they want to prolong the power and elections? There is a kind of apprehension among the BNP leaders. The leaders expressed their opinion in the meeting and said that although the government talks about reforms, they do not have a clear statement about the elections. So they demanded the government immediately clarify its position on the election roadmap issue.
Meanwhile, BNP did not take well the kind of statements given by two advisors of the government regarding the elections in recent times. This issue was discussed in Monday’s standing committee meeting.
On Sunday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir strongly reacted to the statement of an advisor of the interim government, “Politicians are excited to come to power.” In an event in the capital on that day, BNP Secretary General pointed to the interim government and said, “Don’t try to do anything except BNP by plotting again.” People of Bangladesh will never accept this. Once an attempt was made to’minus two’ depoliticization. Never mind going down that road again.
Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Adviser Md. Nahid Islam said, after all necessary reforms, elections will be organized on the basis of national consensus.
In the BNP Standing Committee meeting, the leaders of the party strongly objected to the advisor’s statement. They said that there is already a consensus among the political parties on the issue of free and fair elections. There is no new consensus here. As a result, whether the government wants to remain in power for a long time without elections, the leaders expressed their apprehension through the speech of advisor Nahid.
Meanwhile, BNP policymakers feel that an anarchic situation is prevailing in the country as the government has not yet clarified the election roadmap. In the meeting, they opined that the current unsettled situation will end only if the roadmap is clarified. Through this, the country will also start its journey towards elections. As a result, everyone will be election-oriented. Otherwise, new issues will keep coming.
It is known that there was a detailed discussion about advisor Ali Imam Majumdar in the meeting of BNP’s standing committee. The party wants his immediate resignation. Because they consider Ali Imam Majumdar a controversial official. Because of that, the leaders are of the opinion that a fair election is not possible by keeping him in the government.
In the meeting, there was a discussion about strongly observing the National Revolution and Solidarity Day program on November 7. At the end of this program, new programs were discussed. In this case, the assembly program may come in the nationwide organizational districts. However, the next program has not been finalized. Apart from this, it was decided in the meeting to present the 31-point outline of state repair in the changed situation to the common people.
