BNP Saturday meet on all-party offer

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will finalise her party’s response to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposal for an all-party interim government after a meeting with senior party leaders on Saturday evening.

The BNP Standing Committee meeting was scheduled to discuss the party’s plans for an agitation against the government’s move to conduct parliament polls without a restoration of the caretaker system.

But the festive season and now the Prime Minister’s offer for an all-party interim government, instead of a neutral caretaker, has led to a change of agenda.

The ball is now in Khaleda’s court and after discussions with BNP leaders on how to respond to the PM’s proposal, she will meet leaders of the 18-party Opposition alliance on Sunday.

All these to finalise a response to the Prime minister’s proposal.

Earlier on Oct 15, after announcing of the Standing Committee meeting, BNP’s Joint General Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi had said that the meeting would finalise the plans for an anti-government movement ahead of the party’s Oct 25 rally in Dhaka.

Senior BNP leaders have also threatened ‘armed resistance’ if the government obstructed the rally.

Sheikh Hasina in her speech also urged the opposition to refrain from violence that endanger the citizen.

The Constitution provides for holding the parliament election in 90 days to the expiry of the tenure of a government.

The countdown begins on Oct 25 and the parliament elections should be held by Jan 24.

The 15th Constitutional amendment, for the first time in the country’s history, allows the present government -- that led by the Awami league -- to stay in power during the election.

The incumbent parliament can operate during the election too.

BNP has been protesting against an election held with the Awami league in office, as it fears that would not ensure a ‘free and fair’ poll.

But the Awami League-led government has refused a return to the caretaker, repeatedly insisting that the polls will be held in keeping with the Constitution.

BNP threatened to intensify its anti-government movement from Oct 25, the day the countdown to election begins, if a bill to bring back the neutral caretaker system was not introduced in the parliament by Oct 24.

The political standoff between the two major alliances left the nation worried.

The situation somewhat changed with Sheikh Hasina’s offer to come up with an all-party interim government to conduct the parliament polls during her Friday address to the nation.

The nation now waits with baited breath to see if this can lead to reconciliation and smooth conduct of the polls.