Dire consequences of poll conspiracies
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday warned that consequences of "conspiracies" to foil the December 29 national elections would be dreadful.
She said this during her election rallies held in Jessore, Satkhira, Bagerhat and Khulna.
In Khulna, she said her party is ready to accept the result of the elections, whatever it may be, if the polls are held in a free and fair manner.
"The people of this country tolerated many tortures of the caretaker government in the last two years but they will not stand back if the election is not held as scheduled on December 29," she said.
The former premier addressed at least seven election rallies including one at Jessore Town Hall, one at Navarone, one at Satkhira, one at Dumuria and one at Bagerhat on the second day of her campaign in southern districts.
Khaleda told rallies that advisers to the caretaker government will be accountable for their "wrongdoings". "They will have to be accountable for their frequent foreign trips which cost the state money," she said.
"Leaders of my party, my sons and I were detained to make the country weaker and dysfunctional," she said.
"My sons were energetic and completely fit at the time of their arrest and they even got into the prison van on foot. But when they were released one was in a wheelchair while the other was in an ambulance with an oxygen mask," she said.
"What sort of justice is this? What was my fault," she said. She alleged that her sons were tortured in jail because she refused to go abroad.
"None of my sons and I were ever involved in corruption… I have no assets and properties anywhere else in the world. Bangladesh, where I have been living since my birth, is my first and last address. .. I shall die here. I have no address in any foreign country," she said.
Criticising the politics of oar and poles, she said BNP does not believe in politics of chaos and violence.
She handed over sheaf of paddy, the BNP election symbol, to party candidates while introducing them to the crowd who thronged the rallies.
In Jessore, she introduced Tariqul Islam, Abu Sayeed, Maulana Azizur Rahman, Engineer TS Ayub, Mufti Mohammad Wakkas, Abul Hossain Azad as four-party candidates and urged all to vote for them.
In Satkhira, she introduced Habibul Islam Habib, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Maulana Abdul Khaleque and MA Riasat Ali.
In Dumuria, she introduced Jamaat nominee Mian Golam Parwar as the four-party alliance candidate.
In Bagerhat, Khaleda introduced four-party alliance candidates MA Salam, Sheikh Wadudur Rahman, Shahidul Islam and Wahiduzzaman Dipu.
In Khulna, she introduced Amir Ejaj Khan, Nazrul Islam Manju, Kazi Sikandar Ali Dalim, Mian Golam Parwar and Shah Mohammad Ruhul Quddus.
Having her dinner at Khulna Circuit House in the evening she left for Faridpur to attend several road rallies.
As of filing of this report at 1:00am she was scheduled to return to Dhaka early today. However, she could stay in Rajbari if dense fog makes travelling in the dark difficult.
The BNP chairperson said leaders of a certain political party are yet to start their election campaigns in full swing as they apprehend that the result of 2001 elections will be repeated.
She claimed the present government patronised corruption instead of curbing it. She said the caretaker government tried to form a puppet and a subservient government.
"Instead of arresting the real corrupt people, the government arrested her party leaders, activists and different politicians as part of its plan to banish politicians and control the country," she said.
She said the January 11, 2007, changeover was planned to make the country dysfunctional by destroying democracy, stopping development and creating a vacuum in politics.
She urged election officials to remain neutral while conducting the December 29 parliamentary elections. She said whoever comes to power through a free and fair election would work for the welfare of the country.
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