Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday stressed the need for a people’s parliament by scrapping the December 30, 2018 election to solve the Rohingya crisis.
Addressing a discussion marking the fourth death anniversary of former prime minister and chairman of a faction of Jatiya Party, Kazi Zafar Ahmed, the BNP leader stressed the need of holding a general election immediately under a neutral government and neutral election commission to make a people’s government.
Bhasani Anusari Parishad organised the discussion at National Press Club on Saturday.
He said that BNP had called the government to arrange a national convention to create national unity on Rohingya issue to create pressure on the international community showing them that the people of Bangladesh were united over the issue. ‘But the government does not want it.’
The BNP leader said that the government was utterly failed to create pressure for Rohingya repatriation.
Fakhrul criticised the Awami League who claim that they believe in democracy. ‘It’s a complete lie’
He described the country’s situation as unprecedented critical one.
Fakhrul pointed out that the government had kept the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and the administration under their control and using them as per their will targeting the common people.
‘We, the people of Bangladesh, never got defeated. BNP’s politics never got defeated. We will achieve victory if we can create greater unity,’ he said.
Presided over by the platform chairman Zafrullah Chowdhury, also Gonosasthya Kendra founder, the discussion was also addressed by Jatiya Party (Zafar) chairman Mostafa Jamal Haider, BNP vice-chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu, BNP executive committee member Zahir Uddin Swapan, Bhasani Anusari Parishad secretary general Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu and Bangladesh People’s Party chairman Rita Rahman.
At a separate discussion organised by Jatiyatabadi Prajanma71 in Dhaka in the morning demanding party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s release, BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy alleged that the government was trying to keep the Rohingya issue alive only to make its political gain.
Criticising AL leaders and ministers for blaming BNP for the Rohingya crisis, Gayeshwar alleged that the government itself was instigating Rohingyas to create a trouble here.
‘How could lakhs of Rohingyas hold a rally, if the government had no provocation? How did they bring out processions when political parties do not get permission for such programmes in Bangladesh? I think the government is instigating to Rohingyas with an ill motive,’ the BNP leader added.
Over 7,00,000 Rohingyas entered Bangladesh after fleeing unbridled murder, arson and rape during ‘security operations’ by the Myanmar military in Rakhine, beginning from August 25, 2017. The latest Rohingya influx took the number of undocumented Myanmar nationals and registered Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to about 11,16,000.
Two attempts of Rohingya repatriation — one on November 15, 2018 and the other on August 22, 2019 — failed as none expressed their intent to go back to the Rakhine state.
Source: newage
