What BNP may propose during talks with EC

BNP is likely to press home the demand for election-time “supportive government” during talks with the Election Commission scheduled for October 15 to hold the next general election in a free, fair and exclusive manner, the party’s top leaders said.

“Polls-time supportive government is a must for the upcoming general election and we will press the demand during talks with the Election Commission,” Moudud Ahmed, a standing committee member of BNP, told The Daily Star this evening.

Earlier in the day, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed in a press conference at the party Nayapaltan headquarters announced that a 10-member delegation of the party led by its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will hold talks with the EC on October 15.

However, Rizvi did not come up with details of the talks but informed that a draft about the subject matter of the discussion has already been finalised with the consent of the party’s policymaking body.

Responding to a query, Moudud said, “Army must be deployed during the election and we will also raise the demand before the Election Commission in this regard.”

Moudud said BNP will also propose the EC to bring reforms in the civil administration, which is a precondition for holding the next general election in free and fair manner.

Stressing that no Election Commission can work independently under a political government, Moudud said, “We will propose the Election Commission to dissolute the parliament before the general election”.

The ruling party lawmakers will carry out election campaign with the government’s protocol and they will establish their supremacy if the parliament is not dissolved before the election, the BNP leader said.

“We cannot allow the ruling party candidates to go unchallenged in the electoral race keeping the government intact in power,” he added.

Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, also a standing committee member of BNP, said the installation of the election-time “supportive government” will be one of the key demands of the party.

Hundreds of BNP leaders and activists across the country have been sent in jail being implicated with politically motivated cases, Mahbubur Rahman said.

BNP will demand immediate and unconditional release of its detained party men during the talks with the EC for the sake of holding the next general election in a transparent manner, he said.

About BNP’s stance over the election, Mahbubur Rahman said BNP is a democratic political party and it believes in election but the EC will have to ensure election friendly political atmosphere with its own initiatives.

Citing several electoral irregularities including vote stuffing and polling centre grabbing, the BNP leader said there is no alternative but to deploy army before and after the national election.

The EC will hold dialogues with BNP and ruling party Awami League on October 15 and 18 respectively as part of its ongoing dialogue with political parties ahead of the election.