No More Games in the Name of Election: Fakhrul at Faridpur BNP Rally

Awami League would no longer be allowed to play games in the name of elections, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

"You obtained power by fooling voters and spreading falsehoods throughout the previous two elections. But this time, both the people and we have turned around. This time, there won't be a vote unless a caretaker government is set up, he said.

Fakhrul was speaking at a huge rally on Komorpur Abdul Aziz Institution's premises, around 6km away from Faridpur district town.

As part of the party’s planned divisional rally, Faridpur district unit BNP organised the programme.

Thousands of BNP leaders and supporters from these five districts—Faridpur, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Madaripur, and Gopalganj—participated in the demonstration there despite numerous challenges and a 38-hour bus strike that started on Friday morning.

On Friday night, BNP leaders and activists nearly filled the rally location after congregating there beforehand from nearby districts out of concern for potential obstacles posed by the ruling party and the police as well as difficulties brought on by the bus strike.

Though bus communication remained halted between Faridpur and the rest of the country since Friday morning, the BNP leaders and activists came to the district town from different areas by train, launches, boats, trucks and small vehicles like human haulers, auto rickshaws, three-wheelers, motorbikes, and micro-buses.

Meanwhile, locals complained that internet services were disrupted since 10am, centring the opposition’s programme.

The BNP has long demanded that the next general election take place under a caretaker government rather than a political one. The incumbent Awami League has vehemently resisted this demand because it is not permitted by the constitution.

Prior to the BNP's divisional rallies in Barishal, Rangpur, and Khulna, a similar strike was also put into effect, but thousands of party leaders, activists, and supporters attended the events despite the difficulties.

On December 10, the BNP will hold a large meeting in Dhaka to wrap up the divisional rallies._Agences