Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday alleged that a well-orchestrated plot was under way to delay the upcoming national election.
He made the remark at a virtual press briefing after a joint party meeting was held at the BNP chair鈥檚 office at Gulshan in the capital.
The meeting was held to set preparations for observing the 44th martyrdom anniversary of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman.
The 7th president of Bangladesh, from 1977 to 1981, Ziaur Rahman was assassinated by a group of army officers at the Chittagong circuit house on May 30, 1981.
鈥楢 deliberate effort has begun to deprive people of their right to vote by postponing the election in a planned way. We are seeing that certain individuals have infiltrated the government and are trying to steer Bangladesh in a different direction,鈥� Fakhrul said.
He said that a new possibility had emerged through聽 the sacrifices of thousands of people, offering a chance to establish true democracy and a fascism-free Bangladesh, but a dark shadow loomed over the country due to a conspiracy to deprive people of their voting rights.
Fakhrul also alleged that the politics of division had resurfaced, with attempts being made to create rifts among communities and a conspiracy being under way to set various government institutions against one another.
Fakhrul urged party leaders and activists to stay alert and united against conspiracies to ensure that no one could snatch the country鈥檚 independence, undermine its sovereignty, and suppress its democratic
spirit.
At the press conference, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the party鈥檚 eight-day programme from May 26 to June 2 to commemorate the life and works of the party founder Ziaur Rahman.
The key events of the programme include a discussion on May 29 at the Institution of Engineers, paying floral tributes at Zia鈥檚 grave at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on May 30, and special prayers at mosques across the country.
Besides, black flags will be hoisted and party flags kept at half-mast for two days, while aid will be distributed among the underprivileged people.
Earlier, on Monday night, a BNP standing committee meeting discussed unveiling a new political programme aimed at reinforcing its demand for general elections by December this year.
According to meeting sources, the move was expected to follow the completion of its ongoing divisional rallies, which are being held across the country by its affiliated bodies, including Juba Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal.
One of the standing committee members on Tuesday told 抖阴精品 that the party鈥檚 acting chair Tarique Rahman asked the committee members to individually reflect on the nature, structure, and timing of the next political programme before finalising it collectively.
鈥楢lthough a final decision is yet to be made, the party is interested in adopting a moderate approach, one that creates political pressure while remains acceptable to the general public,鈥� he said.
The standing committee also reviewed the legal developments surrounding the result of the Dhaka South City Corporation election, where Ishraque Hossain had contested as the BNP mayoral candidate.
Although the party supports Ishraque鈥檚 claim on assuming office, it has decided not to lead the movement under the party鈥檚 banner. Instead, it would extend moral support to what it terms a citizen-led initiative.
The meeting discussed the recent killing of a Chhatra Dal leader at Dhaka University and reviewed responses following the government鈥檚 ban on the Awami League activities nationwide.
