Reinstated caretaker government system restores democracy: Rizvi
Sheikh Hasina had abolished the caretaker government only to cling to power, he says
The Appellate Division's verdict reinstating the caretaker government system has revived the spirit of democracy in Bangladesh, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said today (20 November).
Speaking at a medical aid programme at Krishibid Institution auditorium in Dhaka, Rizvi said the verdict would have a positive impact on the democratic process by preventing the re-emergence of authoritarianism.
"Sheikh Hasina had abolished the caretaker government only to cling to power. Reinstating the system will block the path to fascism," he said.
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He accused the former prime minister of "cruelty," saying, "Sheikh Hasina has shown a level of harshness that no one else in Bangladesh has ever displayed. With the restoration of the caretaker government, there has been significant progress towards justice and democracy. This verdict is very positive—the lifeblood of democracy has been revived."
BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Treasurer M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Amra BNP Paribaar Convener and senior journalist Atiqur Rahman Rumon, Engineer Ashraf Uddin Bakul, and others also spoke at the event.
Earlier in the day, the Appellate Division issued a ruling that prospectively restores the provision for the Election-time Non-Partisan Caretaker Government (NPCG) system in the Constitution.
The court announced that the NPCG system, originally inserted via the 13th constitutional amendment of 1996, has been "activated and revived". The court declared its satisfaction that the previous judgment was "tainted by several cited errors apparent on the face of the record", thereby setting it aside in its entirety.
