Stating that the delay in holding the next parliamentary elections is fuelling instability in the country, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Zainul Abedin Farroque on Friday said his party would be aggrieved if interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus were to depart in disgrace.
鈥楾here appears to be a wave of unrest sweeping the country. Who are the main culprits behind this instability? Who is attempting to delay the election? We wish to know these things from a great person like you (Dr Yunus),鈥� he told a protest rally.
Farroque, a member of the BNP chairperson鈥檚 advisory council, said had the government provided a clear election roadmap, those who had taken to the streets during Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 tenure and faced countless cases and persecution could have engaged constructively and become election-oriented.
鈥楤ut you (Dr Yunus) still haven鈥檛 given a roadmap. If this instability is of your making, then let it be known that the BNP will never accept responsibility for it,鈥� he said.
Farroque, also a former opposition chief whip in parliament, urged the government to immediately announce the date for the next general election.
鈥楢parajeyo Bangladesh鈥� organised the programme titled 鈥楻esist the Conspiracy to Foil the National Election - Rise, thevPeople of the Country鈥� in front of the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.
Referring to media reports about Professor Muhammad Yunus鈥� possible resignation, Farroque said, 鈥業f a respected figure like you is forced to depart in disgrace, it will hurt us.鈥�
鈥楲et your name be etched in golden letters in history, just as Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed鈥檚 is, by ensuring a fair election, holding voting during daylight hours, and safeguarding our right to vote... such a legacy will be remembered in history,鈥� he said.
The BNP leader also urged the chief adviser to set an example by ensuring a peaceful democratic transition so that future generations could take pride in him as an acceptable and honourable figure of the nation.
鈥楽o, I earnestly request you to immediately send letters to these three individuals-Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, Mahfuj Alam, and Khalilur Rahman-urging them to resign from the advisory council. Otherwise, it will fall upon you to remove them,鈥� he said.
Farroque said reforms should indeed be carried out, but not in a way that would create a corridor to Myanmar or allow the Chattogram port to fall into the hands of others.
He cautioned against any reforms that might empower conspirators to delay the election and push Professor Yunus鈥檚 government into instability.
To overcome this instability, Farroque said, Professor Yunus himself must announce the election schedule within the next few days.
