Amid a state of unrest, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday called for forging a national unity to fend off those trying to destabilise the country.
The BNP made the call during an over one hour-long meeting with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus over some untoward incidents that happened in the country over the past few days.
“We have urged the Chief Adviser to take a move for holding talks with all political parties to forge the national unity for tackling the ongoing challenges,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters after the meeting at state guest house Jamuna, the official residence of the Chief Adviser.
Earlier, a five-member BNP team, led by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul, met the chief adviser and urged him to forge the national unity to tackle the evolving situation and resolve the existing problem.
The other BNP delegation members are party standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salahuddin Ahmed.
The BNP secretary general said that the main purpose of the meeting
was to convey the BNP’s concerns to the Chief Adviser regarding the recent developments, particularly the law-and-order situation in the past few days, the issues surrounding ISKCON, and the problems of students of some colleges.
“We are facing significant challenges ahead. To address these challenges, particularly those that threaten independence and sovereignty or seek to undermine them, we must build national unity to resist and counter such threats,” said the BNP secretary general.
“We hope that the Chief Adviser, along with his Advisory Council, will find a solution to these problems very soon so that no such situation arises again to create a division among people,” he added.
The BNP also urged the interim government to announce the poll roadmap within the quickest possible time after carrying out the necessary reforms.
“We have told the Chief Adviser that it is very important to announce the poll roadmap within the quickest possible time after completing the necessary reforms,” he said.
On recent issues involving students at several colleges, Fakhrul said his party raised concerns over the law and order situation during the meeting.
The BNP secretary general said they also called upon the Chief Adviser to take steps for easing public sufferings by reducing the prices of essential commodities.
“We have also asked the chief adviser to increase the number of TCB trucks that sell daily essentials at fair prices to low-wage earners.
The BNP leader accused the fascist Awami League cohorts of maintaining control over the agricultural sector, alleging that they are causing disruptions in fertiliser distribution programmes.
Fakhrul further called for ensuring that there are no obstacles in paying ready-made garment (RMG) workers' wages in industrial areas.
He urged the government to assist workers, even by providing them with loans if necessary.
Urging the interim government for withdrawing cases filed against BNP leaders and activists, he also emphasised the need to dissolve the Union Parishad bodies and conduct fresh elections.
