Apparently taking aim at the interim government, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday asked whether it was a sin to call for elections within a clear timeframe, reports UNB.
"Why is there so much unnecessary delay over the election? Is it a great sin to call for elections within a clear timeframe? From the remarks of some [interim government] advisers, it appears they are trying to provoke this notion among various groups."
The BNP leader made the remarks while speaking to reporters after paying tribute to National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam by placing a wreath at his grave on the Dhaka University campus, marking the 126th anniversary of his birth.
Rizvi said the BNP and other democratic parties want the interim government to carry out necessary reforms and hold a free and fair election, which he claimed Sheikh Hasina has delayed, depriving voters of their right to vote.
"All our protests and movements are aimed at overcoming this situation, restoring true democracy, and ensuring a free environment. But now, there are so many ploys surrounding the election," he added.
He also accused some advisers of exacerbating the ongoing political crisis by making statements about the election that go beyond their jurisdiction. "If the advisers are pursuing any hidden agenda beyond their responsibilities, the people will not accept it," Rizvi said.
He singled out Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, saying her role is to protect and improve the environment, but instead she is commenting on the election.
He questioned her effectiveness in her official capacity: "What has she done to save the Buriganga and Shitalakhya rivers? Why are we still breathing toxic air? Since taking office, we've seen no drive or initiative from her to make the environment pollution-free."
Justifying the BNP's demand for the resignation of two student-leader-turned-advisers, Rizvi said the interim government's role is to remain neutral.
"It is not the interim government's responsibility to help form or support any political party," he said."Rather, they must perform their duties impartially. If an adviser calls the SP of Cumilla and orders him to arrest BNP members and prevent the party from conducting activities there, why shouldn't there be demands for his resignation?"
Rizvi also said his party supported the government led by Muhammad Yunus after what he described as the fall of the "fascist" Awami League regime.
"But if we find anyone within the government playing a partisan role, we will have to protest," he warned.
He alleged that Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, as well as Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, had called the SP of Cumilla's Muradnagar, instructing him not to allow BNP leaders and activists to carry out political activities in the upazila, which is the adviser's home constituency.
"So, this is a repeat of the Sheikh Hasina era. Now, there's supposed to be a free environment. Yet those tasked with running the government continue to play a controversial, partisan role. Similar incidents are happening in various places," Rizvi added.
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