Govt lied to confuse people: BNP

The BNP has alleged that the government had lied over the remarks of the British premier, on Bangladesh’s Jan 5 parliamentary elections, during a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Speaking at a press briefing in the capital on Friday, party Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said: “We think the prime minister (Hasina) is making false statements as the guilt of voter-less Jan 5 polls is haunting her.”

Hasina met British Prime Minister David Cameron in London on Jul 22 during her visit to the UK to attend the Girl Summit.

File Photo

After the meeting, British government in a statement said that Cameron informed Hasina of UK’s ‘dissatisfaction’ at the Bangladesh election, in which candidates in majority of seats were elected uncontested.

However, Foreign Affairs Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali told a press conference on Thursday, after the prime minister returned: “David Cameron has said Bangladesh's election is now past.

“We need to look to the future. The UK wants to have close relations with Bangladesh. The British government will continue to work together with Bangladesh government."

Rizvi said the news of Cameron’s ‘dissatisfaction’ was published in the media.

“However, this government is not caring about anything. Rather, the prime minister is lying to confuse the people,” he added.

The BNP leader said: “We want to say it unambiguously that wrongs cannot be justified by the power of guns.”

He reiterated his party’s demand for holding a fresh ‘fair’ election participated by all political parties.