Govt to fall like house of cards, says Khaleda

Pushing for an inclusive snap election, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sunday said the present government would fall like a house of cards in the face of people's fierce movement if it ignores the demand, reports UNB.
"We together with people will take to the streets to face the arms of government. Our movement will be peaceful and systematic, and it'll be the movement of people. This autocratic and illegal government will fall like a house of cards in the face of movement," she said.
The BNP chief was addressing a discussion meeting arranged by Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital, marking the Victory Day.
Demanding immediate fresh polls, the former Prime Minister said they had long been calling for a dialogue to find a way out to hold a fair and peaceful election, but the government did not respond to their peaceful call.
"One year has already elapsed. The situation of the people and the country is deteriorating day by day. The backs of all have been pushed against the wall. They didn't respond to our peaceful call. So, there's no option for us to stay indoors," she said.
Khaleda, also the chief of the BNP-led 20 party alliance, said people have long been pushing BNP and the 20-party for waging a movement as they now are desperately looking for the ouster of the government, getting back their voting right and establishment of a people's government through a fresh election.
About the January-5 parliamentary elections, she said, "In fact, they (govt) protected their regime, not the constitution and democracy, by holding the voter-less polls."
Khaleda said continued: "We want an election to its true sense where voters can exercise their franchise freely amid a festive mood, all political parties can join the election and where there will be a level-playing field for all parties. It can't be accepted that one will contest the election while in power and other from outside the power."
Claiming that late President and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman is the first freedom fighter, the BNP chief said, "Freedom fighters will remain in people's hearts as long as the country exists. And the name of the proclaimer of the country's independence, Ziaur Rahman, will remain untainted as the first freedom fighter."
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP leaders Moudud Ahmed, Abdullah Al Noman, Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, Barrister Shahjahan Omar, Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, Mirza Abbas, Liberal Democratic Party chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad, Bangladesh Kalyan Party chairman Syed Muhammad Ibrahim and founder of Gonoshasthya Kendra Zafrullah Chowdhury spoke at the discussion presided over by Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal President Ishtiak Aziz Ulfat.