'Has Delhi said there is no need for elections?': Fakhrul asks Quader
"Has Delhi told you to continue your wrongdoings? Has Delhi said there is no need for elections?" Fakhrul asked
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has asked Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader if New Delhi has given the government the green light to avoid elections in Bangladesh to remain in power.
"Has Delhi told you to continue your wrongdoings? Has Delhi said there is no need for elections?" Fakhrul asked at a "convention of professionals" in Dhaka yesterday.
"The AL general secretary claimed that 'an understanding had been reached behind the scenes'. You will not find a bigger liar in the world."
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He further said that the government has no legitimacy and that the people of Bangladesh have "no confidence" in it. Also, the democratic world has also expressed its "lack of trust" in this government.
The countries that support democracy have made it clear that the elections of 2014 and 2018 were not legitimate, he said, adding, "There can be no election under this government this time … No election under this government will ever be legitimate."
On Tuesday, Obaidul Quader told party workers and leaders to prepare for elections, citing an "understanding behind the scenes."
"America needs Delhi, and Delhi is there, so are we. We have no enemies, only friends. Sheikh Hasina has struck a balance in her relations with everyone. There is nothing to worry about. Elections will be held on time," Quader said at a rally in Amin Bazar, Savar.
Yesterday, addressing the programme held at the Institute of Engineers, Fakhrul criticised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's speech in London, calling her words "so crude that there is no language to condemn those."
Sheikh Hasina, however, spoke some truths in her speech admitting that she had ordered Khaleda Zia's eviction from her cantonment residence, he said. "There is no need for a judiciary in Bangladesh, as Sheikh Hasina's word is the law. She should now declare herself emperor."
On the BNP's ongoing movement, Fakhrul said, "We have been peacefully protesting for almost two years. Already 22 of our leaders and activists have been martyred in this ongoing protest. Still, our movement is peaceful. But I cannot say that it will always be peaceful if the government keeps obstructing us."
