Nat’l polls must be held in Feb, says Fakhrul

  Bangla Press desk :   BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul   Islam Alamgir has said that the next parliamentary elections will have to be held in February next year and no exception will be allowed. “Our goal now is one: elections must be held in Bangladesh in February 2026,” he said. The BNP leader came up with the statement while speaking at a protest rally in front of the party’s central office in the capital’s Nayapaltan area on Monday. The BNP’s Dhaka South and Dhaka North city units arranged the programme, protesting the continuous conspiratorial lies and propaganda, and demanding exemplary punishment for the barbaric murder of scrap trader Sohag near Mitford Hospital. Mirza Fakhrul further said, “We will not compromise on the issue of democracy. We want elections. We want elections at the decided time.” He alleged that at a time when there has been a surge of hope among people about the elections after the meeting between Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London, some political parties are trying to steer Bangladesh’s politics in a different direction. “This conspiracy is not new. These conspirators are trying to destabilise Bangladesh again. They are trying to prevent elections from taking place in Bangladesh,” he said. The BNP secretary general said when the chief adviser assured Tarique Rahman at the London meeting that there will be elections by this time, a certain group went out of their minds since then. “Those who speak against Tarique Rahman and the BNP are enemies of democracy, enemies of the country.” He said when the BNP leaders and activists are working to implement their 31-point state reform formula to rebuild the country, some political groups are hatching conspiracy. “They are trying to use the Mitford incident to divert the course of politics in a different direction.” “As the people are trying to stand firm, these conspirators make fresh attempts to create instability, prevent the election from taking place, and deny voters their right to franchise,” he added. Mirza Fakhrul said some so-called political leaders and activists have used indecent and offensive language against Tarique Rahman, thinking it will weaken the BNP and frighten its leaders and supporters. “But the BNP is a party that has faced many challenges and risen again and again like a phoenix. This is the party founded by Ziaur Rahman,” he added. Fakhrul urged the BNP leaders and activists to act responsibly, emphasising the party’s role as a major political force and democratic entity in Bangladesh. “My request to the party leaders and activists is that you should not fall into anyone’s trap. They are trying to provoke us to fall into their trap, but we should not get excited,” he said. Later, thousands of leaders and activists of the party brought out a procession registering their protest against derogatory comments about Tarique Rahman. The procession passed through Bijoynagar and ended at the Jatiya Press Club. Earlier on the day, several thousand leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) also staged a demonstration at Nayapaltan on the same ground. They also brought out a procession from Nayapaltan towards Shahbagh, causing serious traffic congestion in the city. Leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal from various educational institutions gathered in front of the party’s central office in Nayapaltan and started a protest march around 2pm. During the march, Chhatra Dal activists chanted slogans against those who made derogatory comments about Tarique Rahman and those who have long been involved in secret activities aimed at disrupting the academic environment. The JCD leaders and activists blocked Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection in the afternoon demanding that the government take swift measures against the “secret group” for inciting mob violence and disrupting the academic atmosphere. The JCD leaders alleged that the group has for long been engaged in “covert operations,” endangering the future generation. Since the ouster of a fascist government last year, JCD, the student wing of BNP, has repeatedly condemned Islami Chhatra Shibir for what it claims “conducting covert operations to disrupt the law and order situation.”. This article was originally published on The Daily sun.   [Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.] BP/SP