Opposition BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is not interested to talk with the ruling Awami League anything without the caretaker government issue, she told Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday, senior AL leaders said.
The two political arch rivals differed with each other over most of the issues discussed during their 37-minute conversation. Khaleda reportedly posed counter-questions whenever Hasina criticised the opposition leader over any past issue.
At one stage, the former premier categorically told Hasina that she was not interested to talk anything except for the caretaker government issue. The premier then requested her to visit Ganabhaban first and then they could talk every issue.
After the conversation, Hasina, also the ruling Awami League president, joined the maiden meeting of her party’s Election Steering Committee held at her official residence Ganabhaban. The meeting decided to hold a mass rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on November 3.
The AL chief shared her telephone conversation with the party colleagues, of who senior leaders Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed hailed Hasina for making the phone call despite facing an ultimatum.
Hasina said everybody blamed her for not talking to the BNP chief, but she called Khaleda for the sake of the country and its democracy.
“Ignoring everything, I called her who observes her birthday on August 15, who patronised the killers of Bangabandhu and who tried to kill me on August 21 [in 2004] by her son. I called her for the sake of democracy,” a senior leader quoted Hasina as saying.
The AL chief told the meeting that she was beside the red telephone from 6pm to 6:10pm as Khaleda was committed to call her at 6pm. “But as she did not call me, I called her,” the senior leader quoted Hasina.
Hasina called the BNP chief at 6:20pm when senior party leaders were present. Television camerapersons were allowed in the room for three minutes to take footage.
As Hasina insisted that the opposition chief withdraws the 60-hour hartal declared on Friday saying that she had initiated the dialogue, Khaleda asked her: “Why did not you call me yesterday [Friday]?” Hasina then said she usually goes to bed early.
During the conversation, the prime minister also requested Khaleda not to observe her birthday on August 15. “You visited our Dhanmondi 32 residence several times. You saw Sheikh Russel. When you observe your birthday on August 15, cannot you remember the face of Russel?”
Khaleda then asked Hasina whether none could observe his/her birthday on that day.
Sources said the AL chief asked Khaleda to join the election-time all-party government she had proposed earlier. “We can form the government with our own persons; otherwise, there is a possibility of recurrence of another 1/11-like situation [take over by unconstitutional force].”
Responding to Hasina, the BNP chief asked her arch-rival why she had joined the oath-taking ceremony of Fakhruddin Ahmed in 2007.
Both the two leaders had been sued and arrested during the military-backed caretaker government that lasted for around two years though the constitutional provision allowed an interim government to hold elections in 90 days and handover power to an elected government. The parliament led by Sheikh Hasina annulled the provision through the 15th amendment to the constitution.
Regarding her demand to establish a caretaker government in 1996, when Khaleda was the prime minister, the AL chief defended saying that she had no other option except for demanding introduction of the system.
The prime minister also claimed that all the elections held under her government had been free and fair. Khaleda then asked whether the Brahmanbaria and Bhola by-polls were fair, said the meeting sources.
At one stage, the premier told Khaleda: “I have sat with some political parties to resolve the crisis and taken their suggestions. I also invite you as I want to solve the crisis through talks. Both of us can present something good to the nation through credible elections instead of pushing the country backwards. This is my expectation to you.”
Sources said at the meeting, the party decided to make success the November 3 rally at Suhrawardy Udyan to show their strength ahead of the national polls.
Hasina told her party colleagues that most of the party candidates for the polls would be chosen soon so that they could take full preparations. She also stressed the need for forming core committee to monitor polls, committee to finalise manifesto and polling centre-based committees.
Most of the party leaders were in favour of declaring the election schedule in early December and to hold the polls before January 15.
General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said the election must be held in line with the constitution.
Meeting sources also confirmed that although Presidium member Abdul Latif Siddique had earlier announced that he would not participate in the next election, on Saturday he changed the decision.
The Election Steering Committee was formed on October 13 with Hasina as the chairman and party’s advisory council member HT Imam as the co-chairman. All the members of the central working committee and the advisory council are members of the panel.
