PM's statement on Jan 5 polls untrue, misleading: BNP

A BNP senior leader alleged on Sunday Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina has made an 'untrue' statement on January 5, 2014 general election to mislead people, reports UNB.

BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain made the remarks while speaking at a protest programme organised by Agriculturalist Association of Bangladesh at the National Press Club in the city, protesting the recent police attack on its leader Jafir Tuhin.

Khandaker Mosharraf also said BNP will join the next polls realising its demand for installing an election-time non-party neutral government.

"The Prime Minister plainly made an untrue remark at Ganabhaban yesterday (Saturday) that her government has been in power for the last four years as people had elected it with their votes. She (PM) did it to confuse people, and it's very regrettable," the BNP leader said.

He further said, "We would like to say no one gave vote in 153 seats while only 5-10 per cent people cast votes in the rest 147 seats. So, how did people elect you? You (PM) are claiming that you were elected by people while there was no election at all."

The Prime Minister in her introductory speech in the Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) meeting at the Ganabhaban on Saturday said, "In any form, the January 5 election was not a voterless at all...more than 40 per cent voters cast their votes."

Mosharraf said people are only getting aggrieved by such 'untrue' comments as they know how they lost their rights on January 5.

"People of Bangladesh are now very conscious politically."

He advised Awami League leaders and activists to go to rural areas and talk to people to know how they have got fed up with the current regime.

About their party's position on the 11th parliamentary polls, the BNP leader said it must be held under a non-party neutral administration dissolving the current parliament. "The next election won't be held under Sheikh Hasina and Awami League-led government, no matter how much conspiracy they hatch".