Staff Correspondent, Narayanganj

BNP Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu has said that the current government has turned its back on national elections and is instead dreaming of holding local polls—something that will never come true.

He made these remarks on Wednesday at a discussion held at a restaurant in the Narayanganj Press Club building. The event was organized by the Narayanganj District branch of the “Save the Country, Save the People Movement.”

BNP’s vice chairman stated, “The current government is dreaming of local elections while ignoring the demand for a national election. This will never be implemented. The people’s will is final. No plan can succeed against their wishes.”

He further emphasized the urgent need for national unity in the country. “Some are unknowingly falling into Sheikh Hasina’s trap,” he warned. “There is no alternative to a movement to reclaim people’s rights. The spirit of mass uprising must be upheld.”

Also speaking at the discussion were Faruk Rahman, chairman of the National Labor Party, Rakibul Islam Ripon, president of the “Save the Country, Save the People Movement,” general secretary Asaduzzaman Jewel, and Abu Al Yousuf Khan Tipu, member secretary of BNP Narayanganj Metropolitan unit, among others.

Speakers at the event said that during the past tenure of the Awami League government, BNP and other opposition party leaders and activists faced continuous repression, false cases, enforced disappearances, and brutal torture—marking one of the darkest chapters in history. They added that the government aims to hold a staged election through the "PR system," but the people will never accept it.

At the end of the discussion, a one-minute silence was observed in memory of the martyrs of the July-August movement. Prayers and a dua were also offered for the forgiveness of their souls.