BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas on Wednesday said that the public perception that the national election might be deliberately delayed under the guise of reform is not unfounded.
“The government has put forward reform programmes ahead of the election. But, I have found nothing new in their reform proposal that is not already included in our 31-point proposal. So, the nation’s perception that the reform issue is being used as a pretext to delay the election is not baseless,” he said.
The BNP leader made the remarks while addressing a workshop on BNP’s 31-point proposal for state structure reforms, organised by the Dhaka South city unit of BNP at the Railway Officers' Club ground in Shahjahanpur.
Abbas, a member of the BNP standing committee, said the government can complete the reform initiative and arrange the elections promptly by modifying BNP's 31-point reform proposal.
"The government can even announce that the election will be held by June or July after completing the reforms and modifying our 31-point proposal. The government has said it will hold the election in December, but I fail to understand the reason behind the unnecessary delay," he said.
The BNP leader also criticised some political parties for advocating the delay of the election under the guise of reforms.
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“We have shed our fresh blood for democracy, for the right to speak, and for the right to vote. But now, when the time for voting has come, some political parties are setting various conditions for the polls,” he said.
Abbas said the Awami League did whatever it wished, considering the country as its paternal property. “Do you (some political parties) think the same? This Bangladesh is not anyone's personal property. This Bangladesh belongs to people. So, speak with consideration, so that we don’t have to speak without any calculation.”
Without mentioning any name, he said some greedy politicians and political parties oppose merely for the sake of opposition, not for any practical reason.
“These parties have opposed since the creation of Pakistan, starting from the partition of India to today…there is not an ounce of patriotism in them. They do not love the country or its people. They just want to come to power by any means,” the BNP leader said.
Abbas said BNP has no objection to any party coming to power through a credible election. “Come to the polls. Why are you afraid of elections?”
He said those who claim that the election will not be allowed should explain how many of their leaders and activists have been martyred in the July-August movement. “Our 422 leaders and activists have been martyred in one month. How many of yours have been martyred?”
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The BNP leader also slammed a section of journalists who only highlight BNP’s negative activities rather than its positive ones.
He alleged that various parties, television channels, and YouTubers are all speaking against BNP as part of a coordinated effort to malign the party. “It’s our duty to resist this through our actions and by standing with the people.”
Abbas also mentioned that BNP’s image has been tarnished by false accusations against its leaders and activists. “They (offenders) commit wrongdoings, engage in extortion and carry out misdeeds, then blame BNP for it. These extortionists must be resisted, either through words or actions.”
He said the extortionists of the Awami League have now infiltrated all parties, including BNP and Jamaat. “These extortionists have taken shelter in all parties, to a greater or lesser extent. Identify them and either expel them from the party or hand them over to the police.”
Abbas said there is no place for miscreants, offenders, or extortionists in the BNP. “There will be no room for bad people in BNP… remember this.”