Staff Correspondent

BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Zainul Abedin Faruk today demanded the interim government to fix the actual date to hold the next general election.

“Time is not gone away. You have to fix specific date for the election,” he said while taking part a discussion on the role of late Saifuddin Ahmed Monir, former General Secretary of Democratic League, in the struggle of establishing democracy and voting rights of people.

National Peoples’ Party (NPP), one of the major ally of the like-minded Jatiyatabadi alliance, organized the discussion at Jatiya Press Club here this noon.

Faruk, a senior BNP leader, said many individuals are making excuses regarding the election saying that the the election will be held after making necessary reforms in various institutions.

“Election schedule has to be announced alongside bringing the reforms. You have to hold a fair election, in which the people’s representatives will come to power and go to the parliament,” he said.

Faruk said the country would be run by the experienced people and the constitution will be amended in the Jatiya Sangsad of elected representatives and that is the desire of the people.

Mentioning that the interim government had assumed office for fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people, he questioned, “Are the expectations are being accomplished?”

Zainul alerted that they have to take to the streets again if the ghosts of the Awami League will come to the power again for taking time to make reforms.

“We don’t want to siege the road again. Our desire is to ensure peaceful environment for the people. We want to return democracy for the people.

We don’t want to see the cohorts of Sheikh Hasina in power again,” he added.

He said, you (interim government) have been brought to the state power with a view to exposing those, who were involved in snatching away the country’s democracy, ruining all the constitutional organizations, making empty of the hearts of thousands of mothers, creating “Ayna Ghar” (Glass house), to justice.

“Why are you making delay in fixing election date in the name of reforms. Reforms and arrests will go on simulteniously.

You have to bring back Hasina,” he said.

The BNP leader said the people of the country wanted to know how accused individuals belong to Awami League are getting bails despite the fact that police are going to the house of BNP leaders prior to filing any case. “People want to know it from you,” he continued.

Stating that police are now questioning the authenticity of the cases being filed, he enquired, “Where are Harun, Biplab and Mehedi, who ransacked the BNP office and arrested the BNP leaders.

“Why are they now making excuses of conducting investigation prior to arrest? Why the ghosts of the Awami League are being allowed to sit before the TV media? Why the prices of sugar, onion and eggs are increasing---people want to know it.”

The BNP leader demanded immediate cancel of the names of the organizations, which had been named after Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in the last 17 years.

“Rename the organizations after the names of the martyrs,” he said.

NPP Chairman Dr Fariduzzaman Farhad, who chaired the discussion, alerted that the cohorts of the Awami League are still in the administration and are hatching conspiracies against the government.

“So, you have to remove them from administration to honour the people’s aspirations,” he said.

He urged the interim government to take steps to keep the prices of essential commodities at a tolerable limit alongside holding the next election at the quickest possible time as the people are eagerly waiting to exerchise their right of franchise in a fair manner.

“The parliament and government of the people will be established through the election,” he hoped. NPP Joint General Secretary Md Farid Uddin moderated the discussion.

JAGPA President Khandoker Lutfor Rahman, Ganodal Chairman ATM Golam Mawla Chowdhury, NDP Chairman Kari Abu Taher, Secretary General Abdullah Al Harun Sohel, Jatiyatabadi Gonotantrik Party Chairman SM Shahadat Hossain, NPP Secretary General Mostafizur Rahman Mostofa and Bangladesh NAP Secretary General Engineer Abdul Barik spoke on the occasion, among others.