The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday said that there was no relation between the legal proceedings against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the upcoming national election.
BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury came up with the remark after attending a seminar on the shipbuilding industry at the Sheraton Hotel in the capital鈥檚 Banani.
His remarks came a day after National Citizen Party chief organiser Sarjis Alam鈥檚 Tuesday comment that no one should even mention the word 鈥榚lection鈥� until bringing ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to justice and that there would be no election in Bangladesh until seeing 鈥榤urderer Hasina鈥� on the gallows.
Amir Khosru, talking to reporters at Banani, also said that the judicial process was a legal matter and would continue irrespective of political developments.
鈥楾he judicial process is ongoing, and if we believe in the rule of law, it will continue. Sheikh Hasina is facing many cases. These will be resolved one by one through the judicial process. 聽But, the judicial process has no relation with the change in government or the elections,鈥� he said.
He also criticised those who claimed that the elections would be delayed due to ongoing legal matters.
鈥榃e should not allow such debates to push back the electoral system or the democratic processes,鈥� he added.
Noting that the leaders and activists of the BNP faced torturers in the past 16 years, he said that the goal of ousting detector Sheikh Hasina was to create a democratic environment in Bangladesh.
He noted that the people of Bangladesh had been striving to remove the authoritarian rule and establish democracy, where citizens could freely express their opinions, form parties, and share their views with the people.
鈥楢t first, we need to have a mandate. Then the issues can be discussed and debated in parliament, and then it will be passed,鈥� he said.
鈥楴o one has any problem with the decisions based on consensus. But many are saying like 鈥淚 am proposing this鈥�, 鈥渢his has to happen鈥�, or 鈥渢his has to be done鈥�.聽 If there is such a mentality and we adopt an authoritarian approach, it only reminds us of Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 style of governance.鈥�
鈥業f there is consensus, it is good. But, if there is no consensus, you have to go to the people. Take the mandate of the people. There is no other way, he added.
