Caretaker government most suitable system for credible polls: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday said election under a caretaker government is the most suitable system for a country like Bangladesh, and urged the noted citizens and political parties to raise their voices for its restoration.

Talking to reporters at a press briefing at BNP chairperson's Gulshan office after a meeting between the liaison committees of BNP and the 12-party alliance, he also claimed that their ongoing simultaneous movement for the ouster of the current regime has gained huge public confidence.

"Eminent citizens at a webinar have said the country's election system has been destroyed. The electoral system under the caretaker government was the most suitable system for the country," the BNP leader said.

He said Awami League has pushed the nation into chaos by annulling the caretaker government system. "The country's people now do not know how the elections will be held and whether they can cast their vote or not."

He said the previous elections have proved that no credible election can be held under the Awami League government and a partisan administration. "We would have been happier if more noted citizens, political parties, and organisations of the country had really talked about these things. I l urge them to raise their voices for ensuring the election under a caretaker government."

Fakhrul said the simultaneous movement has got different dimensions with the participation of different political parties. "Confidence has definitely been created among the people in the simultaneous movement as many other political parties agreed with our 10-point demand and continued a struggle for the restoration of democracy."

Fakhrul alleged that Awami League held its rally in Rajshahi on Sunday using the state machinery and hiring public trains, but they created various obstacles to the similar programmes of the opposition.

Recalling the barriers like transport strikes, police raids and the arrest of opposition leaders before BNP's 10 divisional rallies, he said, "Awami League uses various evil tricks to obstruct opposition parties from holding their political programmes at any cost. They can't tolerate dissent."

"The character and the activities of the Awami League government have already become very clear to the people.

"They are imposing a complete one-party rule in this country. Awami League has always been a double-standard political party. They say one thing and do another."

About Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader's comment that the road march is a death march' for BNP, Fakhrul said the ruling party leader probably remembered the song of Kishore Kumar about the death march seeing BNP's march programme. "I don't know if he was thinking about himself (his political death) or not."

At the meeting with the 12-party leaders, he said they talked about the ongoing movement and the country's latest political situation. "We also talk about the next course of programmes and how to strengthen the movement further."

The BNP leader said they agreed to intensify the simultaneous movement by drumming up more public support to restore democracy and the voting rights of people.

BNP standing committee members Nazrul Islam Khan, Selima Rahman, vice chairmen Abdul Awal Mintoo and M Shahjahan, the 12-party coordinator Mostafa Jamala HaiderKalyan Party's Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Labour Party's Mustafizur Rahman Iran, Jatiya Dal's Syed Ehsanul Huda, LDP's Shahadat Hossain Salim, Abu Taher of LDP, Jamiat-e Ulama-e-Islam's Mohiuddin Ikram, Jagpa's Rashed Pradhan, Islami Oikya Jote's Abdul Karim, Islamic Party's Abul Kashem and Muslim League's Tafazzal Hossain were present at the meeting.