2019 year of killing democracy, says Fakhrul

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, on Tuesday said that the outgoing year of 2019 was bad year for democracy and favourable for the ‘fascists’.

The BNP leader made the comment while talking to reporters after placing wreaths at the grave of party founder Ziaur Rahman at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka on the occasion of the 41st founding anniversary of the party’s student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

Responding to a question for evaluating the outgoing year and what the party would expect in the new year, Fakhrul said, ‘The outgoing year was a year of killing democracy, of denying people’s right to vote, and of victory of the fascists.’ 

He said that those who struggled for democracy were oppressed while the party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s sentence by the trial court was extended by the High Court and thousands of opposition leaders and activists were tortured and implicated in vexatious cases.

He said that they wanted to think anew in the new year. ‘We want to dream afresh, and we want to strengthen our party.’

About two city elections in Dhaka, BNP secretary general said that no free and fair election was possible under the present government and its election commission.

‘Even though, as we do politics in a democratic way, we have taken the election as a way to reach people,’ he added.

Fakhrul hoped that the JCD, upholding its tradition and students’ movement, would expand its future activities and organise tough movement to free Khaleda to restore democracy.

BNP would forge unity of people and pro-democratic forces through movements to free Khaleda and to restore democracy, he said.

He also expressed his hope that the Chhatra Dal would come forward to take the lead to mobilise a mass uprising.

BNP chairperson’s adviser Amanullah Aman, joint secretaries general Khairul Kabir Khokon and Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, JCD president Fazlur Rahman Khokon and general secretary Iqbal Hossain Shyamol, among others, were present.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net