AL has destroyed all democratic institutions of the state: Mirza Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul said on Saturday that the one-sided election of the Supreme Court Lawyers Association marred with police violence proved that the Awami League government has destroyed all the democratic institutions of the country.
At a rally held in front of the BNP central office in the capital's Nayapaltan, he complained that the Awami League is plotting to come to power again without votes.
Dhaka Metropolitan North and South BNP organised the rally to protest "the corruption of the AL government" and press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
"The AL government is destroying the state. Two days ago, police attacked and tortured the lawyers unfairly in the Supreme Court premise and jeopardised the election," said Fakhrul.
He added, "All the democratic institutions of the state have been destroyed one by one including the judiciary."
"When our lawyers went to the Chief Justice for a solution after being harassed, he said he does not know what to do," the BNP leader added.
BNP Secretary General stated, "This state has devolved into a completely failed state. Unless urgent reforms are made, the constitution is amended, and those responsible for the state's destruction are promptly removed from power, Bangladesh will no longer exist."
He stated that there is only one option now that the government must be removed through people's power. "Our movement has awakened the entire country against the government during the past year. Unfortunately, we have lost 16 of our party activists, and many others have been injured. The debt we owe to them is immeasurable."
The BNP Secretary General also stated that money laundering and corruption are the fundamental principles of the Awami League.
Fakhrul cited a TIB report that found the law and order forces to be the most corrupt and stated that even a bribe of Tk15 lakh is necessary for securing a peon job at a private primary school.
He claimed that the government has identified the power sector as the primary area for corruption, alongside the oil import sector.
Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP convener Aman Ullah Aman presided over the rally while Aminul Haque and Rafiqul Alam Manjur, member secretaries of Dhaka Metropolitan North and South respectively moderated the event.
BNP leaders Mirza Abbas, Abdul Awal Mintu, Ahmad Azam Khan, Abdus Salam, and Zainul Abedin Faruque spoke at the rally among others.