Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam has expressed his doubt over BNP's stance of participating in the upcoming municipality polls.
He said: “We have strong doubt that the BNP would stick to its current stance of participating in the municipality polls scheduled to be held on December 30.”
The minister for Public Administration made the assertion while addressing a press briefing at party president's political office in the capital's Dhanmondi on Monday evening, soon after BNP chief Khaleda Zia said her party would stay in the vote battle till the end.
Referring to BNP's boycotting the January 5 national elections and the recent Dhaka City Corporations polls, he said: “Several previous records showed that the party [BNP] either boycotted the elections or withdraw its participation at the eleventh hour.
“If the party this time also came up with such decision, it will not come as a surprise.”
Regarding BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's recent comment questioning the number of martyrs in the country's Liberation War, Syed Ashraf said: “Making such comments at a time when the entire nation is preparing for the municipality polls proved that the BNP chief doesn't have any good intention regarding the event.
“Such remarks of Khaleda Zia once again proved that she has a strong connection with the anti-liberation forces.”
On last Monday, the BNP chief, in her first public address in more than a year, said there are controversies over “how many were martyred in the Liberation War.”
The comment came soon after Pakistan denied its involvement in war crimes or atrocities in Bangladesh during 1971 Liberation War.
However, the ruling party leader hoped that the BNP this time would stand ground and would not boycott the polls.
The ruling party-backed candidates would come out victorious in the polls, said the minister. “Our internal survey showed that we will win most of the positions in the polls.”
