BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said the election commissioners have transformed the commission into an affiliate of the ruling Awami League, accusing them of wanting to interfere with the people’s constitutional rights.
The Election Commission was trying to find different ways to keep the opposition in check, Rizvi said at a protest march in Dhaka on the morning of Wednesday, the second day of the BNP’s 11th in a series of blockades.
Rizvi led the march, organized by Jatiyatabadi Matsyajibi Dal, from Motijheel to Culvert Road in Purana Paltan.
The Awami League had destroyed democracy and the Election Commission was helping it, the BNP leader said, before claiming that the people of Bangladesh and the “democratic world” were of the opinion that the holding of a fair election was not possible under the Awami League administration.
“They are using state power and intelligence agencies to prevent anyone from demanding fair polls.”
He also said the government continued to harass leaders and activists of the BNP through arrests in false cases.
Other than the one led by Rizvi, leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliates, including Chhatra Dal, Swechasebak Dal and Juba Dal, held protest marches in different areas of the capital.
The blockade, enforced by the BNP and its allies, aims to protest the schedule for the 12th national election and demand an election under a non-partisan government.
The 36-hour blockade started at 6am on Tuesday and will end at 6pm on Wednesday.
Traffic in Dhaka was normal in the morning despite the blockade, and long-distance vehicles, trains and launches were operating without issue.
However, additional forces were deployed across the country to maintain law and order.