When election fervour grips the country, the leaders and workers of the BNP-Jamaat clique have intensified their ongoing movement, enforcing one after another blockades and hartals only to foil the 12th Jatiya Sangsad poll at any cost.
Whenever national election appears, they (BNP-Jamaat) clique unleash a reign of terror across the country carrying out arson and attacks on innocent people. However, the expected level of election excitement is visible amid BNP’s blockades and hartals.
Therefore, except BNP, most political parties are now in the field with their full strength. It seems the aspirant candidates of different political parties including Awami League and the opposition Jatiya Party are active in keeping in touch with the party’s high command to get party tickets for contesting the next general election from their respective constituencies.
Besides, they stay close to voters through political and social activities. On the other hand, BNP aspirants are staging demonstrations, rallies and meetings as part their ‘one-point’ movement with the goal to remove Awami League from the power to hold the upcoming national elections under a neutral government
BNP’s high command’s
order to boycott the
next poll generated
a mixed reaction from
the grassroots level
On Thursday BNP announced a fresh 48-hour hartal across the country starting from today to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC). Apart from BNP, some foreign countries are also trying to disrupt the election.
But, we believe Bangladesh has all the strengths, including the economic capacity, to deal with it. Common people, including young voters, are enthusiastic and expressing interest in electioneering of candidates, having failed to gain the confidence that the election will be held in a peaceful, credible, and competitive manner. BNP’s high command’s order to boycott the next poll generated a mixed reaction from the grassroots level. So, the party is getting derailed from the country’s mainstream politics day by day due to its frequent boycotting national and other polls, patron and nurture of communalism, extremism, and anti-liberation forces.
The party did not take part in the 2014’s polls and also tried to run away from the 2018’s elections. But, later they took part in the polls after a lot of dramas.
If BNP does not participate in the next parliamentary elections and shun the path of violence, it will fall in crisis of existence. Being party activists, supporters and leaders, they are also voters; so, prohibiting them from going to the polling stations is very unacceptable and unfortunate, the BNP leaders and activists think.
All know the next national elections will be held in accordance with the Constitution like in other democratic countries in the world. The party now in association with the Jamaat-e-Islami is out to fish in troubled waters by creating unrest in the country making issue over the caretaker government and treatment of its convicted Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
Therefore, we think BNP must join the next general polls to sustain its existence as it does not have any option to boycott it.