It’s a farce, says BNP

The BNP has ruled out any chance of joining the all-party polls-time cabinet set to be installed on Monday, calling it a farce.

Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman’s acquittal in a corruption case earlier in the day had reignited hopes of a settlement.

But, around 11:25pm on Sunday, acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir snuffed out the slim possibility. “There’s no chance of BNP MPs being in that Mohajote (grand alliance) cabinet. It’s another farce,” he declared.

“We are worried that such decision of the government will take the country to the edge of a cliff.”

His reaction came hours after Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan announced that the all-party interim cabinet will come into being at 3pm Monday at the Bangabhaban to oversee the parliamentary elections.

His statement followed a meeting between President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday evening.

The President had endorsed and welcomed the Prime Minister's plan of a leaner cabinet, Bhuiyan said, briefing the media crew at the presidential palace.

But the Cabinet Secretary would not be drawn into details.

Fakhrul later spoke to mediapersons at the Gulshan office of the BNP Chairperson after US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal called on Khaleda there.

The ruling Awami League earlier had invited the Opposition to join the all-party election-time government, but the offer was rejected.

Fakhrul last Saturday had asked the government to take initiative to hold talks over the form of the polls-time dispensation, hours after Biswall landed in Dhaka on a three-day visit.

On Sunday, Tarique Rahman was acquitted in a money laundering case and police remands of five arrested senior BNP leaders were halted.

After the Cabinet Secretary announced cabinet swearing-in on Monday, several leaders of ruling Awami League, Workers Party and Jatiya Party were approached and are almost sure to be in the new, first-of-its-kind cabinet in Bangladesh.

Asked whether they received any invitations to the oath taking ceremony, Fakhrul said, “We did not get any invitation letters.”

The BNP spokesperson had a meeting with the party chief before talking to reporters. Before him, Khaleda also met with Standing Committee members RA Gani, Jamiruddin Sircar and Mirza Abbas.

Mirza Fakhrul again urged the ruling party to come forward with a dialogue initiative to decide the form of the polls-time government.

He renewed the Opposition’s threat to boycott the 10th national election.

“We want to make it clear that the BNP will not allow any farce election and take part in it.”

‘The people' will thwart any unilateral election, he warned the government in a thinly veiled threat to let loose mob on the street.

The BNP leader also said that the Opposition 18-Party alliance’s movement for a non-party election-time government will continue.