Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said the interim government is simply ‘showing banana’ in the name of reforms, while failing to take any concrete steps to ensure elections to be held within December.

“How many times will you inaugurate these reforms?” he asked while speaking at a discussion organised by BNP’s krishak Dal at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in the capital, marking the 44th death anniversary of party founder Ziaur Rahman,

Salahuddin criticised the government for repeatedly inaugurating phases of reform discussions without any tangible progress, saying that there was an inauguration in the first phase, then another in the second.

“Now again in the third phase you have merged things together… you are just showing us the ‘banana of reforms’,” he said.

Mentioning that the chief adviser has called for another round of talks on June 2, he said, “We’ve told you, compile what has already been discussed and present it to the nation. But instead, you are just going through rituals with no real work being done. Why another fresh inauguration on June 2 for the third round? How many inaugurations does it take?”

Salahuddin asserted that justice for crimes against humanity committed by ‘fascists’ must remain the highest priority, even above reforms.

He also slammed the chief adviser for not delivering on a previous assurance that the election would be held within December. “You told us that the people of Bangladesh would have an election by December. But then you backtracked. That is unfortunate.”

Highlighting the sacrifices made by BNP activists, he said they shed blood, endured torture and served jail terms and went to ‘Aynaghor’. “We didn’t go through all that for nothing,” said Salahuddin who was allegedly abducted from his home in Uttara on March 10, 2015 by individuals posing as detectives.

The BNP leader mentioned that it was to establish a democratically elected government, to restore voting rights, and to build a society free from discrimination.

Salahuddin went on to say, “If merely speaking about reclaiming our democratic rights makes you uncomfortable, Honourable Chief Adviser!, That is truly disappointing. How much longer will you delay reforms using this excuse?”

Questioning the rationale behind any possible delay, the BNP’s standing committee member said there is not a single valid reason to postpone the election. “You (Prof Yunus) have no justification. If you have even one reason to hold the polls beyond December, please make it public,” he urged.

He acknowledged that reforms are a continuous process, but stressed that it should not be used as a pretext to delay elections. “Reform is never a finished task. It evolves with the needs of the country. But that doesn't mean you can keep pushing the election date using it as an excuse.”

Krishak Dal General Secretary Shahidul Islam Babul chaired the discussion, attended, among others, by BNP Acting Chairman’s adviser Mahdi Amin, BNP Executive Committee member Tabith Awal and other Krishak Dal leaders.