Nothing new in PM proposal: BNP

Acting Secretary General of the BNP Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposal has nothing new to discuss about, though he had earlier stated that the party would officially react to the proposal on Saturday.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 18 Oct 2013, 06:38 PM
Updated : 18 Oct 2013, 07:33 PM

"BNP, its allies and people of Bangladesh are demanding a national election under a non-party government. This is a very important issue for the present and future of the nation, general people and democracy," he said at a press briefing on Friday night.

Prime Minister in her address to the nation on Friday proposed an all-party interim government to conduct the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

"But the Prime Minister in her proposal did not mention who will lead the polls-time interim government when a partisan government is already in power. She had given a similar proposal when she was in London earlier," Fakhrul, who is also party Spokesperson, said.

File Photo

In his immediate reaction earlier in the evening, Fakhrul had told bdnews24.com: "We are assessing the Prime Minister's proposal. We will give our reaction on Saturday."

He had said senior leaders of the opposition will discuss the proposal. "Then we'll be able to brief the media about our position."

Later he met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence and then held the press conference there.

When asked whether the opposition was rejecting the Prime Minister's proposal, the BNP spokesperson said, "What I'm saying is our initial reaction. We aren't saying more than this now."

When his attention was drawn to the reaction of the main opposition's key ally Jamaat-e-Islami, Fakhrul said, "We will respond after discussing it with the parties of the [18-Party] alliance. This might be the party's own reaction."

In a press release, Jamaat Acting Secretary Genral Rafiqul Islam Khan rejected Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina's proposal for an all-party interim government.

“Ninety percent of the people want a free and fair election under the caretaker government. There is no alternative to that," Khan said.