Mirza Abbas warns against any attempt to disrupt national election timeline

BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas warned that any attempt to delay the national election by pushing for local body elections first would be strongly opposed.

"We thank Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus for announcing that the election will be held by December during his meeting with our secretary general yesterday. We hope the election will take place within December, if there is no plot to foil it," he said while addressing a workshop.

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The Mugda Thana unit of Dhaka South City BNP organised the programme near the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Mustafa Kamal Stadium on Tuesday, where party leaders and workers were trained on the party's 31-point state-overhauling proposals.

Abbas said their party will continue to support the interim government in organising a credible and fair election. "But, those who try to derail the election will be given a fitting reply."

The BNP leader said the people of the country, who have been deprived of their voting rights for a long time, should be given the opportunity to vote for the candidates and parties of their choice by holding the national election as early as possible.

He said some people criticise the BNP for demanding the election be held as soon as possible. 

"It seems only the BNP will participate in the election, and others will not. We will see who participates when the election schedule is announced," he said.

Abbas said those who are currently criticising the BNP will eventually thank the party, as the election will be held due to BNP's strong stance.

He said the BNP is pushing for the national election because the party has spent the past 17 years fighting on the streets to restore democracy and people's voting rights. "Thousands of our leaders and workers sacrificed their lives, maimed and tortured for a credible election and the people's right to vote."

The BNP leader also said some people are advocating for local body elections before the national one. "I urge those people to reconsider their position. We didn't fight for 17 years for local government elections, we fought for the national election."

He made it clear that local government elections should take place after the national election.

Abbas warned that if local body elections were held now, it would allow the Awami League to come out of their hideouts. "We won't allow that to happen."

He called upon all democratic forces not to create obstacles to the national election by advocating for local body polls.

The BNP leader expressed suspicion that an evil force might be attempting to undermine the election process by focusing on local body elections. "We won't let any wicked force carry out its plot," he vowed.

Commenting on the joint forces' Operation Devil Hunt, he urged law enforcers to focus on tracking down the real 'devils' within the government offices and administration, rather than searching for offenders out in the wild.

"The devils of Awami League are still sitting in all government offices, from the union office to the DC office, the secretariat, and other institutions… They are the ones trying to lead this government astray," Abbas said.