CT News Online

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday alleged that prime Minister Sheikh Hasina threatened the opposition using the language of terrorists when she kicked off her campaign for the January 7 general election in Sylhet a day ago.

Terming the upcoming elections lopsided and dummy, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Rizvi said that the people would not go to polling stations despite ‘threats’ by the prime minister.

‘The way the prime minister spoke in Sylhet after starting the campaign of the dummy election is the language of terrorists. She issued threats in the language of terrorists. Despite her such threats, people won’t go to the polling stations on January 7 and won’t cast their votes,’ he said.

The BNP leader made the comments while distributing leaflets with the party’s call to the people to boycott the upcoming election in the capital’s Elephant and Bailey Road areas.

He questioned the premier as to why she is not arranging the national election under a non-party neutral government if she has so much courage.

‘You don’t do it as you know very well that you will lose your security money if the people get a scope to exercise their right to vote,’ he said.

Rizvi said there is nothing to brag about a dummy election, which the government is going to hold under its supervision using the state machinery.

‘The country’s people have already turned down the election of distributing and sharing seats on January 7. No one will go to the centres except them (ruling party followers),’ he observed.

The BNP leader called upon the people from all walks of life to get united and boycott the election. ‘We urge people not to go to the voting centres on January 7 and to ask others to do the same.’

He said the regime of Sheikh Hasina is trying to hang onto power by holding a one-sided election as per its blueprint. ‘They have been staying in power by using the state apparatus.’

Rizvi said that the January 7 election would not be acceptable both at home and abroad as the country’s people and foreigners were watching how the government was holding a lopsided election by fielding dummy candidates after snatching the voting rights of people.

He said that those who had taken part in the election as dummy candidates out of their greed to get undue benefits and facilities from the government standing against the hopes and aspirations of the people would be identified as traitors and collaborators.

Rizvi along with some BNP leaders and workers first distributed leaflets in the Elephant Road area around 8:30am and later in the Bailey Road area among the pedestrians, shopkeepers and employees, rickshaw pullers, bus and auto-rickshaw drivers urging them to boycott the upcoming national election.

On Wednesday, the BNP announced a ‘non-cooperation movement’ against the government and urged the people of the country to boycott the January 7 election.

The party also announced to conduct mass campaigns among people on December 21, 22 and 23 to boycott the unilateral election and gain public support for the non-cooperation movement.