by Bilkis Irani in dhaka tribune, January 29, 2018
BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan has alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched to keep their party out of the 11th parliamentary elections slated for December this year.
“BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman are being tried in ‘false’ cases as part of a conspiracy to keep our party out of the next general elections,” he told reporters, emerging from a meeting with the Election Commission on Sunday.
A three-member BNP delegation led by Nazrul held the meeting with the Election Commission that had asked for some documents over the party’s sixth national council held in 2016 and its demand for re-demarcating constituencies before the polls.
“Apart from Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, many of our leaders and activists are being tried in ‘false’ cases so they cannot participate in the election,” he alleged.
About the election, he also said: “We want a participatory and fair election. And holding such an election is not possible if two major political parties, BNP and Awami League, do not join it.
“… but we have observed that certain quarters are plotting to keep us out of the election.”
It would be wrong to think that they will be successful in their attempt to keep BNP away from participating in the polls, the senior BNP leader continued.
“The election will not be a participatory one if BNP will not take part in it. And the Election Commission also agreed with us in this regard,” he claimed.
Nazrul also urged the commission to take necessary measures to hold the polls in a free and fair manner.
Turning to the postponement of the Dhaka North City Corporation by-polls, he claimed the general people knew very well that the government had the polls postponed out of fear of suffering a crushing defeat.
Meanwhile, the party’s executive committee has called an emergency meeting on February 3 to decide on its course of action, as the verdict in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case against Khaleda is scheduled to be delivered on February 8.
BNP chief Khaleda held meetings with the party’s Standing Committee and the BNP-led 20-party alliance on Saturday and Sunday respectively. http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2018/01/28/bnp-holds-emergency-meeting/
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