Photo : Messenger
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is now stressing the boycott of polls, a shift from their previous position of resisting the national elections scheduled for January 7.
The BNP believes that there is a potential fear of conflicts between the Awami League (AL)-nominated candidates and ‘dummy’ candidates in the one-sided polls. Consequently, the responsibility for such conflicts may fall on the BNP's shoulders. Taking this issue seriously, the BNP has decided to hold a vote-centric non-violent programme. In this regard, the party has also accepted the advice of diplomats from some countries.
BNP leaders said that they are encouraging people to abstain from voting in a peaceful way. It is not that BNP is holding a non-violent programme only as advised by the outside world. The party is giving importance to avoiding any blame for polls-related violence orchestrated by AL. Meanwhile, the party has called for a nationwide procession today on Friday and a 48-hour hartal from 6 am on Saturday.
BNP and like-minded parties enforced a 12-phase 24-day blockade and 5-phase 6-day hartal following the clash with the police surrounding the mass rally on October 28 last year and the announcement of the polls schedule. Then, on December 20, the party called for a non-cooperation movement by boycotting the polls and calling for non-cooperation with the government. These programmes did not gain much response.
Now, the party is distributing leaflets and conducting mass communication to reduce the voter turnout at the polling centres to prove the January 7 polls one-sided and non-inclusive. This programme continued until Thursday. The party had decided to hold a public curfew or mass hartal programme a week before the polls, starting after January 1. But eventually, the party moved away from that position.
This time around, the party is giving importance to the boycott instead of resisting polls. But to find out the answer to the question of why such a sudden decision, The Daily Messenger contacted several leaders of the party from different ranks. They said that first of all, there is no such situation of voting resistance as the administration is very active. Besides, AL is voting unilaterally among themselves, where there is a fear of large-scale violence between the AL-nominated and independent candidates of the party on the polling day. Clashes are already being reported daily in different places across the country. Therefore, the BNP can be blamed for this conflict. BNP has taken this issue seriously. Keeping in mind the overall issue, the leaders and activists of the party have been instructed to collect videos of the attacks and bombings.
Besides, the BNP is also aware of the visa restriction by the United States on those who will obstruct the free and fair elections in Bangladesh. A source of the party informed that the diplomats of some countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU, have advised the BNP to carry out peaceful programmes.
Kazi Raunkul Islam Shravan, a member of the BNP Executive Committee and former president of the Chhatra Dal, told The Daily Messenger, “BNP’s peaceful programmes proved it does not commit terrorism. The Awami League will put the blame for its violence on the shoulder of BNP—it has already been proven from the speeches of some leaders of the ruling party. The BNP high command is aware of it.”
BNP Standing Committee member Begum Selima Rahman told The Daily Messenger that it is not the case that the BNP is carrying out non-violent programmes only on the advice of outside diplomats. But, of course, the party is giving importance to the demands of a democratic world. She also claimed that these vote boycott programmes have been adopted in the overall decision of the party.
Meanwhile, the BNP has announced a 48-hour all-out nationwide hartal from 6 am on Saturday to 6 am on January 8. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programme in an emergency virtual press conference on Thursday.
Rizvi alleged that the government itself planned violence and blamed it on BNP and opposition party leaders and activists in the one-sided election.
Messenger/Fameema
