The BNP has demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation to ‘solve the current political impasse’.Party spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said forming a poll-time government would only add fuel to the fire.
“We believe collecting resignation letters from the ministers to form an all-inclusive government is not in keeping with the Constitution,” he told bdnews24.com over the phone from an undisclosed location on Tuesday.
“It will only make the situation more delicate,” Fakhrul, also the BNP’s acting Secretary General, said in his first reaction since the ministers submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed on Tuesday said the resignations were ‘merely a formality’.
“According to the Constitution resignations become effective only after they are submitted to the President,” he said.
“These are not resignations at all. Just a formality,” he had said.
Hasina had proposed an all-inclusive poll-time government last month but the Opposition has remained steadfast in its demand for a non-party caretaker to supervise the election.
Mirza Fakhrul said the Prime Minister should step down immediately to solve the ‘crisis’.
“We believe it will pave the way to a dialogue [between the ruling Awami League and the BNP],” he added.
Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia had initially rejected Hasina’s offer to hold talks. After a Nov 2 meeting with top business leaders, however, she agreed to ‘unconditional’ Secretary General-level discussions with the Awami League.
When the businessmen met Hasina, she had told them that her talks offer was ‘still open’.
Mirza Fakhrul had announced a 72-hour Opposition shutdown last Friday.
He had also issued a statement protesting against the arrests of five BNP leaders, within hours of the strike-call.
According to BNP leaders, Fakhrul has been giving instructions from a ‘safe place’ as per the party chief’s order.
BNP’s Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Monday alleged the Opposition’s leaders were suffering from a sense of ‘insecurity’ following the arrests.
Fakhrul blamed the 15th constitutional amendment, which scrapped the caretaker government provision, for the current political deadlock.
“They (the government) have planned this crisis and it deepened with the ministers’ resignation submission drama.”
He also accused the government of “not trying to solve the crisis”.
The BNP spokesperson urged the ruling party to take the initiative for a discussion on a non-party, poll-time government.
“We hope the government will regain its senses and take initiatives to hold an all-inclusive poll through a dialogue,” he said.
Fakhrul said party’s five detained leaders should be released to create an atmosphere suitable for a dialogue.
He asked the government not to try to bar the Opposition’s ‘peaceful’ political programmes. – bdnews24.com
