Oikya Front demands reelection under neutral govt

Dhaka, Feb 06 – Leaders of opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front on Wednesday demanded of the ruling Awami League-led government to announce a new schedule to hold a fresh election under a non-partisan govt. Otherwise they warned launching a resistance movement what it said against the ‘illegal and unelected government’.
The Oikyafront taking people with them will build resistance against the government if it does not heed to their demand and announce a new schedule for a fresh election, they warned while speaking at a human chain programme wearing black badges in the city.
The leaders claimed that January 30 parliamentary election was farcical one and all the democratic institutions have been destroyed by the ruling party quarters using them to cling to power.
They demanded the release of BNP’s jailed chairperson Khaleda Zia and other Oikyafront leaders who have been poured in prison implicating them in false cases.
The Oikyafront, where the BNP is the major partner, organized the hour-long human chain first of its outdoor programme following the 11th parliamentary election in front of Jatiya Press Club from 3:00pm to 4:00pm with a poor presence of opposition leaders and activists.
Top leaders of the five-party alliance except Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president ASM Abdur Rab and Gano Sastha Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury were absent from the scheduled event while Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan was present at the programme alone from the BNP standing committee.
‘There was no election on December 30. Country’s democracy was killed, nation was injured and the people have become wordless on the day. The child was killed before it’s delivery,’ said top Oikyafront leader and president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal ASM Abdur Rab.
He said 117.3 per cent votes along with those were beyond the poll process has been cast in the last election and none has heard such an incident of deceiving the voters.
The JSD chief alleged that thousand crores of Taka was given to returning officers and police officers during the election as bribes. He said they would unveiled on February 24 the ugly mask of the government of holding Hitler styled election thorough which it has reassumed power forcibly.
Rab said the unity of Oikyafront remained intake and explained that man of its top leaders could not attend the programme as many of them are sick and some other went abroad for treatment.
Terming the December 30 election farcical one, BNP leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said the people rejected the elections and demanded announcing a new schedule for holding a fresh election.
The December 30 election was farcical one and it proved that no election can be held in a free and fair manner under a political government. The government has to take immediate measure to hold a fair election under a neutral government, he said.
The BNP leader also claimed that the governement in its 10 year rule has destroyed all the democratic institutions including judiciary, election commission, administration and the law enforcing agencies.
He also accused the government of committing mega corruption in the name of mega project saying that the amount of money being expend to build a one killometre of road is 10 times higher than other countries.
Zafrullah Chowdhury said the people voting rights has been snatched on December 29 while it has been buried on December 30.
He alleged that police officers are being awarded for their controversial roles in favour of the government during the elections.
Ganoforum executive president Subrata Chowdhury said the government’s second ear was cut in the last election while it lost its first year through holding the lopsided January 5 2014 election.
He said the government should be awarded with Nobel Prize for its misdeeds in the last elections.
Presided over by BNP leader Abdus Salam, the human chain programme also addressed, among others, by JSD general secretary Abdul Malek Ratan, BNP leaders Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Selima Rahman, Imran Saleh Prince and Abdus Salam Azad.
The AL-led Grand Alliance swept the 11th parliamentary election with 289 seats, out of 300, and formed the government. The BNP and its partner Ganaforum got only eight seats and rejected the poll results, alleging ‘vote engineering.’
The Oikyafront had rejected the poll results alleging ‘vote engineering’ and decided that its winning candidates would not take oath as MPs. The Oikyafront leaders also refrained from joining Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s greetings-exchange meeting over tea on February 2.
It would hold a mass hearing of its candidates in the city on February 24 over the December 30 elections. – Staff Reporter