BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has said that they would never allow any move to hold the next general election under a partisan government.
Addressing a rally at Suhrawardy Uddyan on Monday, she sharply reacted to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's statement on the BNP's demand for the caretaker government system and said, "Time has not run away. Place a bill in the Parliament to restore the caretaker government system in the Constitution. Ensure an atmosphere for holding a free and fair election. The country's 90 percent people support our demand. So, there can be no election under a partisan government."
Sheikh Hasina on Sunday insisted that her government would not move away from its present position, even by an inch, of holding the next parliamentary election in line with the country's Constitution.
To this, Khaleda Zia said that the government would surely review its present stand when there would be mass uprising. The existence of the government may even be at risk.
Jatiyotabadi Shechchhasebok Dal, a front body of the BNP, organised the rally at Suhrawardy Uddyan in the city to mark its 33rd founding anniversary. The leaders and the workers of the organisation from different parts of the city assembled at the meeting venue with banners and festoons in hands.
BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Tariqul Islam, and Vice-Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka addressed the function, among others, with President of the organisation Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel in the chair. Khaleda Zia accused the government of patronising corruption in the country's economic sector, and engineering plot to remain in power at any cost. She said that the present government would be made answerable to the people for what it did. For this reason, they fear to hold election under the caretaker government system, she observed.
The former prime minister gave a list of development works done during their time between 1991-1996 and 2001-06 and gave the details of their future development plan if the 18-party alliance is voted to power again.
She claimed that Awami League had not kept its promises it pledged in its election manifesto in 2008. The ruling party is only confusing the people by producing list of imaginary successes, she added.
On the quota system in the government jobs, the BNP Chief said that they would reform the present quota system and at the same time they would give priority to the merit. They will also provide jobs to the candidates who would be maltreated by the present government, she said.