The BNP-led 18-party alliance on Thursday said they would only sit for dialogue with the government if their demand for an election under a non-partisan interim government is met.
They also asked the Election Commission (EC) to refrain from arranging partial elections.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties said they will stage nationwide demonstrations protesting the arrest of their leaders and activists and demanding their immediate release.
“Almost 90% of the people in the country demand elections under a non-partisan caretaker government. So, the dialogue should be based on this issue,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of BNP, said while addressing a demonstration organised by 18-party alliance at Suhrawardy Udyan on Thursday.
Urging the EC, Fakhrul said: “Please do not mislead people by amending the RPO and electoral code of conduct. Please keep these issues pending till a decision on the polls-time government is reached.” Issuing a note of warning, Fakhrul said: “If you arrange a unilateral election people will not forgive you, and will blacklist you forever.”
The spokesperson of the party said although the government is talking about dialogue verbally, they actually do not want dialogue.
“They offered dialogue in the face of public pressure and are now staging a drama.” Regarding the recent phone conversation between Khaleda and Hasina, the BNP leader said: “During the conversation, the opposition leader clearly said they would withdraw the hartal if the government accepted the demand of elections under a non-partisan government, but the Prime Minister did not respond.”
Fakhrul alleged that the government has committed an offence by leaking the telephone conversation illegally.
Lambasting the Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu, Fakhrul said: “You (Inu) fought against the Awami League in 1975. Thousands of young Turks were killed just for you. People do not forget it. So, before making any comment on Deshnetri (Khaleda), seek pardon from the nation.”
Earlier, at a discussion meeting, standing committee member Moudud Ahmed alleged the RPO was amended just to destroy the democracy of the country as the politics will not be controlled by the politicians anymore.
“Those who will join the parties with huge money will get party nomination. Dropping the previous provision will destroy the politics as the politics will be dominated by the non-political people,” he said at the meeting.
Branding the EC as an agent of the government, Moudud said the EC is now formulating the electoral code of conduct which will be valueless to the people.
