Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called upon the people on Friday to boycott voting in the January 7 'farcical' election, braving 'all threats and intimidation' by the government.
The party also called upon the people to extend their support to its ongoing noncooperation movement against the government by boycotting one-sided parliamentary election scheduled to be held tomorrow (Sunday).
BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan made the appeal to the voters at a press briefing organised by the standing committee of the party in the capital.
"We hope that the people of Bangladesh would be freed from the one-party rule through universal vote boycotting and people's all-out support to the ongoing anti-government movement," he said.
"The days of the government are numbered. So there is no reason to care their (government) misdeeds and illegal threats," he maintained. He requested the people not to get frightened in the face of threats from ruling party men.
He criticised the government's plan to force the voters to go to the polling centres by 'threatening to seize their national identity cards and social safety net cards'.
He warned that those who would be involved in taking away voters' NID cards and social safety net cards would be held accountable in future.
Mr Khan said, "It is not an election (January 7, 2024) rather a drama and mockery with the nation. So BNP rejected the election."
BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan said, "BNP doesn't consider politics as a game as the general secretary of Awami League Obaidul Quader uttered politics as game."
"BNP considers politics as an important matter but not a matter of game," he said.
Standing committee member Begum Selima Rahman said that her party called a 48-hour hartal (from 6:00 am Saturday to 6:00 am Monday) covering the polling time as a sign of peaceful protest.
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