BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed has said the interim government cannot be a substitute for an elected government.
While speaking at an event at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Sunday, the BNP leader said: “When we demand an election roadmap by December, some advisers claim that the people want them for five years - that the public has elected them through a mass uprising.
"If that is the case, then why does the Election Commission exist? You cannot be a substitute for an elected government. You are unelected, and you will be reminded of that every single day.”
Emphasizing the people’s demand to regain their voting rights, he added: “Every time we talk about elections, we see criticism arise. Those who speak of democracy seem to be walking in the opposite direction. Many are creating confusion about elections in the name of talking about them. That is not a noble endeavor. Is this what the so-called mass uprising was for? Is this what the people truly wanted?”
Criticizing the chief adviser’s remarks on elections, the BNP leader said: “Thousands of people in this country have been martyred in the struggle for elections, for the right to vote, for reclaiming constitutional rights. And now, you are denying that election and those voting rights. Who are you encouraging? Whose agenda are you serving by making such statements? Why does the chief adviser keep changing his stance? The nation will not take kindly to your double standards.”
Condemning the move to depoliticize the country, Salahuddin said: “Those behind 1/11 governed Bangladesh for two years under various pretexts. Have you forgotten Moin and Fakhruddin of the 1/11 era? They tried hard to depoliticize the country, but they failed.”
Reiterating the call for prompt elections, he said: “The people of Bangladesh initiated a mass uprising to reclaim their democratic rights. If anyone wants to call that a revolution, I would respectfully disagree. It was not a revolution was a democratic uprising against fascism. Therefore, we want our democratic rights restored. We want elections as soon as possible to reclaim our constitutional rights through a legitimate electoral process.”