Dhaka, 29 Jan – The BNP won’t take part in the next elections keeping chairperson Khaleda Zia out of the election process, says BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan.“It will be nothing but a stupidity to think that anyone of BNP will join the polls if its chairperson Khaleda Zia and senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman are kept out of the election process,” he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda at the EC secretariat on Monday.
The BNP senior leader made the remarks at a time when a Dhaka court has fixed 8 February to pronounce its verdict on a graft case against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Khan said the EC thinks that the next polls would not be participatory one if the BNP boycotts it.
The election in Bangladesh cannot be considered a participatory one if it is boycotted either by BNP or Awami League, he said.
The BNP leader hoped that the next polls will be held iin a free, fair and neutral manner and would be a participatory one.
“Otherwise, he said, it will be a farce in the name of election. We don’t want to participate in such a farcical election,” he said.
Earlier, a BNP delegation led by Nazrul Islam Khan met the CEC and submitted the party’s amended constitution and the resolution of the party’s national council session held in 2016.
The BNP leader alleged that conspiracy is being hatched to convict Khaleda, Tarique and some other innocent people without any reasons.
He said if something like that happens, the aspiration of a participatory election will be hampered.
He said the BNP wants to take part in the elections but conspiracy is beimg hatched to create obstruction to it.
“There is a move to accuse our leader Khaleda and Tarique Rahman without any reason,” he alleged.
Replying to a question. he said the BNP had a candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation by elections and they were optimistic about their victory.
He said the EC did not postponed it rather it has been postponed by a court order. This, the EC has nothing to do in this regard, he said.
The two other members of the delegation are BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and organising secretary Nazrul Islam were present on the occassion. – Staff Reporter
