BNP won’t go to the polls with AL in govt: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, reiterated on Sunday that the opposition party will not participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections with the Awami League remaining in government.

"I don't think anything will happen until the Awami League government resigns," he said at a press conference, replying to a question regarding the ruling party leaders' statements about bringing BNP to the elections.

"Our stance is clear about the next election. Unless the Awami League government resigns and if power is not handed over to a completely neutral government, there can be no question of an election. We will not go to the polls if [Prime Minister] Sheikh Hasina is in power," he added.

The opposition party called the press conference to brief the media about an attack on the party's standing committee member, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, during an Eid greetings event at Titas in Cumilla on Saturday.

"They (Awami League) talk nice, as if there are no better people than them. But finally, they do whatever they wish," he told the press conference at the BNP chairperson's office in the capital's Gulshan.

After a meeting of the Awami League's executive committee on Saturday, the party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the opposition would be given opportunities to hold rallies.

Other Awami League leaders have said the election will not be accepted if the BNP does not participate and they want to contest elections with the BNP participating.  

Asked about the prime minister's statement on holding the next elections using electronic voting machines (EVMs), Mirza Fakhrul said, "The issue of using EVMs will come later. Let us be clear that we will not go to the polls if [Prime Minister] Sheikh Hasina is in government."

Mirza Fakhrul said Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain had started for Titas in response to an invitation after exchanging Eid greetings with people in Daudkandi. Then suddenly Awami League people attacked him.

The BNP secretary general said, "We consider the attack on him an attack on the BNP standing committee, an attack on our party. This attack of Awami League has proved that their character has not changed at all."

Mirza Fakhrul blamed the government for the sharp rise in soybean oil prices.

In response to a question in this regard, he said, "This increase in the price of soybean oil is inhumane. The main reason is that this government is corrupt and its people are involved in corruption. That is why they have resorted to torturing the people."

The BNP secretary general said the price of soybean oil has been officially increased by Tk38. Even after that, oil is not available in the market even at Tk220. Oil has disappeared from the market he said and that the main issue racketeering.