BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the announcement of the election schedule does not guarantee that the next general polls in the country are going to take place on time.
"The government regards people as fools. There will be no elections under this illegal government. Announcing the schedule does not mean the election is happening. It is not that easy," he said while speaking at an event organised by the Democracy Forum at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Saturday (2 September).
Earlier today, the election commission announced that the 12th national election is set to be held in the first week of January.
In response to this announcement, Amir Khosru challenged the notion of a fair election, stating, "What election? Whose election? There will be no polls in this country, no election will be allowed until the right to vote that people are fighting for is restored."
He claimed that millions of people in the country have taken to the streets for the restoration of their right to vote, as well as their democratic, constitutional and political rights.
Commenting on the topic of development, Amir Khosru alleged that the incumbent government has crippled the country's economic structure in the name of progress.
He said, "This government has completely destroyed the economic structure of the country. There is no money in the banks. Money has been siphoned off, even from major projects. The government is resorting to printing large sums of money, leading to a depletion of bank reserves and government funds."
Regarding the inauguration of Dhaka Elevated Expressway, he criticised it as another manifestation of autocracy.
"They will loot and, while showing the progress, undertake a few large projects. Large-scale corruption is taking place here under the guise of megaprojects," he quipped.
The meeting was attended by prominent BNP figures, including its Vice Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Gazipur District BNP President Fazlul Haque Milan, Central BNP Executive Committee Member Abu Naser Muhammad Rahmatullah, and others. The meeting was chaired by VP Ibrahim, the president of the Democracy Forum.
