BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia: “I’m asking all former MPs and ministers and central leaders to go back to their respective areas to conduct campaign maintaining communication with the central committee.”

By Mizan Rahman
Dhaka
Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia has said her party will be there in the municipal polls till the last minute on December 30 even if the ruling party rigs it.
At a meeting with her party’s senior leaders on Saturday night, Zia also asked her party’s members of parliament to go to their respective areas to take part in electioneering in favour of BNP candidates.
Zia called a meeting of top leaders, including BNP vice chairmen, chairperson’s advisers, joint secretaries general and organising secretaries, at her Gulshan office to work out strategies for the municipal elections.
On Thursday, Zia had a meeting with her party’s standing committee members in the same office and elaborately discussed issues relating to the municipal polls.
The meeting also decided not to boycott the elections under any circumstances.
“I’m asking all former MPs and ministers and central leaders to go back to their respective areas to conduct campaign maintaining communication with the central committee,” a BNP vice chairman who was present at the meeting quoted Zia as saying.
He said the BNP chairperson also asked the party’s senior leaders to motivate party men to guard every polling station and resist any attempt to capture polling station on the voting day.
He said the party chief also directed them to make their all efforts to manage the rebel party candidates to withdraw their nominations.
“If any one remains in the race, make him/her inactive by convincing them to ensure the victory of party candidate,” she told the meeting.
Party insiders said 11 teams were formed after the meeting to oversee the election and assist party candidates to ensure their victory.
The teams include a central monitoring cell, two committees in Dhaka division, and one each in the rest six divisions, one for regular briefing and another for communicating with the election commission.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been made convener of the central monitoring cell while party joint secretary general M Shahjahan its
member secretary.
Terming the current government an ‘evil force’, the BNP chairperson yesterday alleged that it is gradually weakening the country’s security and its sovereignty.
“The undemocratic forces removing their mask had established a one-party rule obliterating democracy after the liberation war,” she said in a message on the occasion of Martyred Intellectual Day.
The BNP chief said, “This evil force is now again weakening the country’s security and hard-earned sovereignty by shattering people’s
democratic rights.”
She alleged that the ruling party has already exiled democracy in the country and is now hindering the national progress by creating division among people.
The BNP chief called upon all to get united from their respective positions to make the country stronger, prosperous and self-reliant, and
consolidate democracy.
Zia also conveyed her sympathy to the family members of the intellectuals martyred on December 14, 1971.