The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Leaders of the four-party alliance yesterday urged the Chief Election Commissioner and two election commissioners to quit their posts.

They were addressing a meeting organised at the Diploma Engineers' Institute in the city demanding an end to the biased activities of the Election Commission (EC), as no fair election would be possible under these Commissioners.

BNP Secretary General Khandoker Delwar Hossain in his presidential address said the caretaker government (CG) was using the EC against the Constitution, democracy, public interest and the country's sovereignty with a view to serve its agenda.

Terming the caretaker government biased, he said the CG failed to maintain its neutrality and added that its activities were not clear to the people.

The Government came into power with the help of the local and foreign conspirators through a blue print to serve some agenda, including making Bangladesh a dependent country.

He alleged that the government did not send Tarique Rahman abroad for better medical treatment despite repeated recommendations of the medical boards.

He warned that the government would have to bear the responsibility for any unforeseen consequence of Tarique Rahman's health condition.

"No condition attached to the release of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia will be acceptable," Delwar said.

"A conspiracy is being hatched to form a rubber-stamp parliament through a farcical election, but the nation would never accept such a misdeed," he added.

He alleged that the EC had been performing activities beyond its jurisdiction with the sole intention of keeping BNP out of the election race and added, "The EC's constituency re-demarcation was done to make the contest difficult for the BNP candidates."

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mojaheed brought some 12 specific allegations against the EC.

He alleged that the EC was directly opposed to the BNP, played a vital role to break up BNP, violated the Constitution, biased toward the Awami League, did not complete the voter list by June 2007 according to its commitment during the dialogue with Jamaat-e-Islami, delimitated the constituency and hatched a scheme to arrange a farcical election, among others.

BNP leader MK Anwar termed the campaign of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) political repression and added, "Thanks to the government and the ACC for sending me to jail, as their real nature has been exposed by this. "

BNP leader Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiki, Prof Abdul Mannan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Jamaat leaders Kamaruzzaman, Abdul Kader Molla, ATM Azharul Islam, Chief of Bangladesh Jatiya Party Barrister Andalib Rahman Partha and its secretary general Shamim Al Mamun, secretary general of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Ahmed Abdul Kader and secretary general of Bangladesh Islami Okyajote Abdul Latif Nizami, among others, addressed the meeting.

BNP Office Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi conducted the function.