BNP Standing Committee Member Hafizuddin Ahmed has said Jamaat-e-Islami is pushing for a proportional representation (PR) system to block elections as it has always feared the people's verdict, reports UNB
"A political party that opposed the Liberation War in 1971 and the Pakistan Movement in 1947 and that has always stood against people, now wants to decide the fate of Bangladesh by demanding the election under PR," he said.
The BNP leader made the remarks while speaking at a discussion on 'There is no Alternative to the National Parliament Election' organised by Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal and Muktijoddha Projonma at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Monday.
He said the nation has struggled for 17 years for voting rights, but now Jamaat is trying to block that by raising the PR issue at the instigation of neighbouring India, a country that does not even practise this system itself.
The BNP leader said if the PR system were so effective, countries with long democratic traditions like the UK and India would have adopted it.
Citing a recent survey, he said about 56 per cent of Bangladeshis do not know what proportional representation means.
"If such a system is imposed on the people without their consent, it would be unjust. Jamaat-e-Islami always fears the people's verdict, which is why it has never won more than 17 seats in any election," Hafiz said.
He recalled that BNP has repeatedly earned the people's trust, even in difficult times. "We have got the mandate to govern four times. In 1996, even during a turbulent situation when Jamaat and Awami League unitedly tried to resist us, we still secured 120 seats. We have always accepted the people's verdict."
Meanwhile, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has alleged that deep conspiracies are at play in the country centring Durga Puja celebrations.
"Sudden signs of turmoil are emerging in the hills, making people anxious and creating concern. At the same time, signs of unrest are also visible in the garment sector…These are not isolated incidents-some group is involved behind each of them," he said.
He was speaking at a press briefing at the BNP's Nayapaltan central office in the capital on Tuesday.
