BNP chief Khaleda Zia is in jail and acting chairperson Tarique Rahman is in the UK. How is your party going forward in this situation?
The chairperson gives all the decisions, generally. In the absence of the chairperson, the acting chairperson takes all the decisions.
Currently the standing committee is making all the decisions in consultation with our acting chairperson and Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, and we are satisfied with it.
What are the steps the party has taken so far to release the chairperson?
We support the country’s legal system. Since she is innocent, we are dealing with this legally.
What is the current health condition of Khaleda Zia? Why does BNP wants her to go to United Hospital only, why not any other hospitals?
A sick person should be given chance to receive treatment wherever he or she wants. Since our chairperson is not like ordinary prisoners, she has the right to be treated properly. She was the prime minister of this country and she should have this privilege.
When the current prime minister was imprisoned, she also took medical treatment at Square Hospital. Then why is Khaleda Zia not getting it?
Khaleda Zia’s health condition is not well. The United Hospital has all necessary equipments which can tackle her illness, so we think she would feel better if treated there, and by neglecting it, the government is in violation of her human rights as well.
We have been notified that BNP is going for street movement, and what would it look like? Would it be like the violent street movements we saw in 2014-15?
We are doing politics for the country’s people. If we go for street movement, we will go with the people. We have been doing peaceful movements for a long time, also the same in our organizational work. We will take the arrangement in the same way, the time we go on the streets. But we will not do anything which may cause harm to people.
In addition, people are well aware that we have been obstructed by the government, whenever we go for any movement. The law enforcing agencies are detaining our men, which is preventing us to go on streets for demonstration. But this anarchy will not last long. People are thinking of hard movements and we are with them.
We have seen how Awami League has gained power through vote rigging in Khulna and Gazipur city elections. We have not done any violent movement as people’s sympathies are with us and this is why we are taking part in coming city polls. So these city elections are opportunities for us to go to people who can help us strengthen our team.
BNP’s candidates have failed to secure victory in the Khulna and Gazipur city elections. What would be your strategies to ensure victory in the votes which lie ahead?
Everyone knows Awami League has won the votes by doing fraud. We will participate in the coming polls in a peaceful and silent manner. We will work with the people for the people, so we have to rely on the people to win. If peaceful, fair, neutral votes take place, BNP is quite sure for a win.
It has been heard that you are raising the number of parties in your 20-party alliance. If so, what political ideology will you follow?
Including a new party is a long-term process. We will allow only valid, appropriate parties in the alliance.
BNP’s ally, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, is on trial for war crimes of 1971. Will you still keep them as an ally?
We have formed the alliance to make a coalition. However, it does not involve the intention of accepting any party’s ideology. We have not left our party or our team for the admiration of their team. We only took them to form the alliance.
It is a matter of fact, when few teams work together to bring situation under control, and when the work is done, it means there is a fire in the house, everyone is working together to subdue this fire. When the fire is put then Jamaat and the BNP’s road is quite different. Nobody walks with anyone. We are not with them.
How are you dealing in the diplomatic arena?
Diplomats from different countries meet with the political parties of Bangladesh, but Awami League does not like that. We have spoken with many foreign diplomats about the current political scenario and they are also concerned. But Awami League wants a monopoly system, as they are not interested in any solution.
We do not want any interference, but since we have different relations with the countries, they are interested in Bangladesh’s situation.
We have a business relationship with different countries including India, China, and America. So they want to know the situation of Bangladesh for their interest. International organizations have condemned and also called for mediation, but the current government is not responding.
Some of your leaders have recently held meetings with Indian think tanks. Have you asked for their cooperation in the next election?
Think tanks of different countries organize such interactions with other countries where they have a trade relationship. They ask both ruling and opposition parties of those countries on different issues, and BNP’s visit were one such note.
We have notified them on the state of our party and the ongoing political situation of Bangladesh, but we have not requested their interference on country’s internal matter. They wanted to know the political scenario of the country from our position. Now it’s their matter whether they will take it into account or not.
