PM’s remark hints power grab: BNP

Senior Correspondent: BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said Prime Minister’s comment hints the ruling Awami League’s power grab.

The BNP leader came up with the observation at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in the capital on Friday.

Sought his comment on Prime Minister’s Thursday’s comment that the 10th parliamentary elections will be inclusive, Rizvi said their party will not join the election under Sheikh Hasina.

He said the government must meet their party’s demand for holding the next polls under a non-party neutral government and releasing its chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail to ensure an inclusive general election.

The BNP stalwart said their party will dispel the misunderstanding with its alliance Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami over the mayoral candidate in Sylhet city polls.

“The problem (with Jamaat) is set  to be resolved. Hope, it’ll be over by July 9,” he said.

According to media reports, BNP’s relation with its key alliance partner Jamaat has got strained as the Islamist party put a mayoral candidate in Sylhet City Corporation polls against the 20-party alliance’s decision.

On Wednesday, top leaders of the BNP-led 20-party alliance had a meeting at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office to resolve the problem.

After the meeting, BNP leaders trashed the media reports on the party’s strained relations with Jamaat, and claimed that all the components of the 20-party combine decided to work together for single mayoral candidates in Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barishal city polls.

Later, Jamaat issued a statement saying there is no confusion that their party leader Ehsanul Mahbub Zobayer is in the race of Sylhet city polls.

About a newspaper report on the list of BNP’s 300 candidates for the national election, Rizvi it is a fabricated and imaginary story supplied by government agencies.
 

risingbd/Dhaka/July 06, 2018/Reza/A K Azad