The chief adviser told BNP holding elections is his number one priority, says Mirza Fakhrul.
The BNP urged the interim government to arrange national elections as soon as possible and announce a roadmap to the polls based on the consensus of major political parties during a dialogue with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today.
“The chief adviser told us that holding elections is his number one priority,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters after the dialogue at the State Guesthouse Jamuna.
In addition to the BNP, the Jamaat-e-Islami, Ganatantra Moncho, Left Democratic Alliance, Hefazat-e-Islam, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, AB Party, CPB, and two factions of Gono Odhikar Parishad also held dialogues with the chief adviser on the same day.
After their dialogue, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman told reporters that the party will publish its reform and election roadmap on 9 October.
He also said the nation had been deprived in the last three elections.
“The interim government has not come to rule the country; they have come to create a fair way to govern. Their job is to establish an environment that the nation has been deprived of in the last three elections and to deliver acceptable, fair, and peaceful polls,” he said.
BNP calls for formation of new EC
During the meeting with the chief adviser, the BNP also called for the formation of a new Election Commission and underscored that election is the party’s first priority.
“A new Election Commission will have to be formed immediately based on the consensus of major political parties suspending the Election Commission Appointment Act. We have asked to give a roadmap for when the election commission will hold the election,” Fakhrul said.
“We have told the chief adviser that no controversial person should go to the Election Reform Commission. We have asked to cancel all the Union Parishads elected by fake votes of the fascist government. We have asked to bring the chief election commissioners and commissioners who were with them in 2014, 2018 and 2024 under the law on charges of fake, failed and biased elections,” said the BNP leader.
When asked what the chief adviser said about BNP’s demands, he said they are looking at the issues with great importance. “They think our demands are the people’s demands, our demands are theirs too.”
The BNP has raised concerns about the interim government still appointing one or two people who were part of the previous fascist regime and demanded these officials be removed.
The party demanded legal action against former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque, who according to Fakhrul, was the main person behind “destroying the electoral system and cancellation of the caretaker government system”, on charges of sedition.
Fakhrul said some bureaucrats, police officials and ministers are reportedly fleeing the country and they wanted to know how they are fleeing and who are assisting them to flee.
Fakhrul also alleged that a vested quarter of the Hindu community has been spreading lies against the nation and exaggerating the attacks on Hindu minorities. The party urged the government to take steps and action in this regard.
The party placed a number of proposals before the interim government seeking urgent steps to address their concerns, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India.
He said they drew the interim government’s attention to Hasina’s activities from India and urged the government to discuss the matter with the Indian government.
He said they laid emphasis on appointing fit and neutral candidates in key posts, cancellation of contractual appointments and ensuring promotion of deprived officials.
The BNP leader said there has been no change in the High Court Division and sought steps for removal of party-affiliated judges.
He said they also raised the CHT issue and urged the government to look into it seriously and find out people responsible for creating instability in the CHT.
Jamaat wants to give reasonable time for reforms
Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said some basic issues have to be reformed to hold the elections.
“We want to give a reasonable time to the government for reforms. We hope this period will not be too long,” he said.
Addressing the media, he said, “We will open our proposals to the nation on 9 October through you. We will present our thoughts to the nation, what reforms are needed at this moment and what reforms we need in the next phase.”
A seven-member delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami joined the talks with the chief adviser.
The delegation included Nayeeb-e-Ameer Abu Taher Muhammad Abdullah, MM Shamsul Islam, Mojibur Rahman, Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar.
