BNP, Jamaat announce mass campaign urging voters to boycott polls
The three-day programme to begin 26 December
The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami announced a three-day mass campaign, from December 26 to 28, urging voters to boycott the upcoming national polls scheduled for 7 January.
BNP will hold public gatherings across the country and hand out leaflets to discourage people from voting, as per BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed's virtual press briefing.
Recognising Christmas Day as a public holiday, the BNP has refrained from scheduling any political events for 25 December.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Jamaat also expressed its solidarity with the BNP programme in a press release, signed by its acting secretary general ATM Masum, issued this evening.
"We urge the people to unite in solidarity by participating in our nationwide mass contact and leaflet distribution campaign on 26-28 December," ATM Masum said.
Earlier on the day, BNP, Jamaat, and other opposition parties, calling for a non-partisan polls-time government, distributed leaflets across the country urging people to refrain from going to polling centres and boycotting the upcoming elections.
On 20 December, the BNP announced a non-cooperation movement against the government, calling upon the party's leaders and activists not to appear in court over any case.
Rizvi blasts AL for internal feud
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also slammed the Awami League for internal conflicts ahead of the upcoming polls.
At a rally in Cumilla, Rizvi said, "Even in this one-sided dummy election, Awami League members are getting involved in internal conflicts."
He blamed the ruling party for "orchestrating deliberate arson attacks and chaos" in the country and passing the buck onto opposition parties to make them look bad.
Rizvi asserted that the slogan "No more Awami League, No more voting in a dummy election" is resonating among the people, highlighting the demand for a fair election under a caretaker government.
He condemned the alleged looting of the country's finances by the ruling party, citing a staggering amount of Tk92,261 crore siphoned from the banking sector.
Rizvi urged citizens to boycott the upcoming vote, claiming that the people of Bangladesh and the international community rejected the AL's proposed election.
Security concerns for Khaleda Zia
Expressing concern, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi mentioned an alleged security breach at Evercare Hospital, where an individual reportedly attempted to access BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia's cabin.
Rizvi called for heightened security for the 78-year-old Khaleda Zia.
The attempted intrusion occurred on Saturday evening, and the individual, identified as Sujan from the Charchadpur area of Sadarpur Thana in Faridpur, was apprehended by hospital authorities.
The man was later handed over to Bhatara police, Badda Zone Assistant Commissioner Rajon Kumar Saha told The Business Standard.
The incident prompted Rizvi to call for a thorough investigation to determine whether it was an isolated incident or part of a more sinister plot.
Impact of BNP's blockade
Public transport and private vehicles were running somewhat less than usual in Dhaka yesterday, due to the morning-to-evening blockade called by the BNP. Long-distance buses were also running less than usual.
A visit to the Mohakhali bus terminal, Gabtoli, and Sayedabad showed that very few buses left compared to other days.
