No election if Khaleda sent to jail: Fakhrul

Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday categorically said there would be no election in the country if their chairperson Khaleda Zia is sent to jail by convicting her in ‘false cases.’ 
He claimed that no patriotic people would take part in the election without the BNP chairperson.
The BNP leader’s warning came at a discussion on ‘election-aiding’ government at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, organised by National Peoples’ Party, a component of BNP-led alliance.
Fakhrul called for forging national unity, irrespective of parties and opinions, to compel the government to hold a free, fair and neutral election, under a neutral government.
He asked the prime minister to invite all the political parties –shunning ‘dribbling’– to dialogue for bringing them all to the next general elections.
Fakhrul said BNP had participated in each of the local government elections and would join the upcoming elections to some upazila parishads under the new Election Commission.
He said BNP has been able to prove that a fair election is not possible under a party-led government that does not have a neutral election commission. 
Fakhrul said BNP would consider what type of government is there in the election-time and what is the role of the election commission before going to parliamentary polls.
He said the newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner has an identity which is ‘he is an identified Awami Leaguer.’ 
The BNP leader said he (Nurul Huda) was given a task by Awami League to conduct its election campaign in 2008.
Fakhrul said Awami League does not want to hold elections to be conducted by neutral people becasue their politics and activities do not go in favour of people and that people would not vote them.
He asked the government to create a level playing field for a fair election by resigning from the office of the prime minister.
Reffering to the rebuke of Grameen Bank founder, Prof Muhammad Yunus, by the government, Fakhrul said, ‘Dr Yunus is our pride’.
He claimed that the entire world is showing respect to him for his contribution to Bangladesh-economy. 
Hinting at prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Fakhrul said she (Hasina) personally considers him (Prof Muhammad Yunus) as enemy.
NPP chairman Fariduzzaman Farhad presided over the discussion addressed, among others, by JAGPA president Shafiul Alam Prodhan, Labour Party chairman, Mustafizur Rahman Iran, Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) secretary general, Mostofa Jamal Haider and Democratic League general secretary, Saifuddin Ahmed Moni.

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