BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said that there is no animosity between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the interim government.
He made the statement on Sunday during a discussion organized by the BNP’s women’s wing, Jatiotabadi Mahila Dal, at the National Press Club to mark the 44th death anniversary of former president Ziaur Rahman.
Referring to the advisers of the interim administration, he questioned whether they are the new architects of the “minus two” theory that emerged during the 1/11 political events, suggesting this warrants contemplation.
Rizvi said: “From the beginning, we have treated Dr Yunus with respect and honour in our approach.”
He went on to criticize certain intellectuals, saying: “Some intellectuals are involved in this; they often preach ideas, but in reality, intellectuals have never played a role in any major revolutionary movement in the world.”
He added: “As for the Advisory Council, apart from one or two individuals, none of them played any active or even remote role in the democratic movement—some were not even in the country.”
The BNP leader said democracy reflects the expression of the people’s civil liberties and collective will. “To establish democracy on a strong foundation, certain tasks must be completed, and those should not take too much time."
Referring to the interim government's various commissions, Rizvi mentioned that Ali Riaz, the head of the National Consensus Commission, is a highly competent academician.
He said: “They are already working, so it should not take too long. But this back-and-forth over whether it will be in December or June—what kind of ambiguity is this?”
Rizvi reiterated the BNP’s stance, saying: “We have clearly said that we want elections by December.”
He noted that the chief adviser mentioned a timeframe from December to June and pointed out that, apart from the Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party, other political parties have not agreed to such an extended window.
He added: “Why this reluctance? You can simply specify a month. Then, perhaps, schedule announcements could be made within that period. But leaving it vague by saying it will be sometime between this and that only creates confusion. We are unclear about what this actually means.”
