Interim government has betrayed the people: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has alleged that the interim government has betrayed the people. He said the current political crisis in the country is the result of the interim government’s actions. According to him, there is no scope for a referendum before the election—on election day itself, there will be two ballots, one for the national election and another for the referendum.

Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion marking the 53rd founding anniversary of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) held at the National Press Club on Friday (October 31), Mirza Fakhrul made the remarks.

Accusing the interim government of breaching public trust, the BNP leader said, “When the consensus document was submitted—it was raining that day, on the 17th. Earlier, things had become chaotic, but we managed to bring all political parties together and signed the document under umbrellas in the rain. However, when it was presented to the Chief Adviser of the interim government, we noticed major discrepancies. Particularly, our ‘notes of dissent’ were omitted. We said then—‘It’s a breach of trust.’ They broke that bridge of confidence and betrayed the people.”

He further said, “The commission you formed discussed various issues of consensus for almost eight to nine months. We agreed on many reforms and disagreed on a few, for which we submitted notes of dissent. Still, we reached consensus on the main issues. These matters would be part of our manifesto. If the people vote for us, we will pass them in parliament to bring change.”

“Those who claim that BNP does not want reforms are misleading the nation,” he continued. “BNP has always supported reforms—our 10-point, 27-point, and later 31-point programs were all about reform. We attended every meeting, participated in discussions, and signed the consensus charter. Any confusion has come from those in charge of the consensus commission.”

On elections and referendum, Mirza Fakhrul said, “We want to participate in the election and agree with the announcement made by the Chief Adviser of the interim government. But some quarters are now trying to sabotage the election and create confusion.”

He added, “There is no longer any opportunity for a referendum before the election. The referendum will be held on election day, with two ballots—one for the referendum and one for the national parliament. There should be no disagreement on this.”

Addressing those who are protesting on the streets, the BNP leader said, “I urge you not to mislead the people. Once you opposed the Liberation War, and now you are opposing the people’s desire for an election. The people of this country never forgive those who betray the nation.”

He concluded, “We want to form a government together with our allies—those who have fought and worked alongside us for the past 15 years. Let’s all use this election as an opportunity to establish a fair and representative government of the people.”

khaborwala/TSN