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Published on January 28, 2024
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said BNP always looks for other force to assume power rather than going through the democratic process.
“…whenever the election time arrives they (BNP) look for some other force who can put them in the power,” she said.
The prime minister said this while visiting British cross party parliamentary delegation led by Virendra Sharma called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban.
The other members of the delegation are: Paul Scully, Neil Coyle and Andrew Western.
PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the call on.
Nazrul quoted Hasina as telling the delegation that whenever BNP finds no one to put them in power, they step back from participating in the election.
“BNP is a terrorist party. They always had come to power without a fair election. They always think that someone will put them in the power,” she said.
She said that not participating in the election was their choice.
She mentioned that BNP was founded inside cantonment by a military man and that person just polluted the election process and democratic system of the country.
She said that undemocratic forces ruled Bangladesh for long 29 years.
“At that time there was no democracy in the country. As a result, no development was done in the country,” she told the delegation.
The prime minister said that BNP does not have any leadership and they usually get dictation from London.
“As a result, after 2008 they did not participate in any election sincerely. They boycotted the election in 2014.
Though in 2018 BNP decided to participate in the election the party nominated multiple candidates in one seat.
“At last they withdrew their candidatures whenever they had felt that they will not be able to win in the election,” she said.
She also said that there was a free and fair election under the military backed caretaker government in 2008.
“There is no question about that election. In that election BNP-led 20-party alliance bagged 30 seats while AL won 233 seats. It proves that BNP does not have any base among the mass people,” she said.
She said that though BNP boycotted the election held on January 7 this year, people cast their votes with turnout reported at 41.8 percent.
“People rejected BNP’s appeal to reject vote,” she said.
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