Prime Minister and chairperson of the Awami League (AL) Sheikh Hasina indicated that there would be no talks before the next general election, adding that any party can participate in the election if it wishes.
He said, “Bangladesh has a multi-party democracy and an election commission. If any party wants to participate in the (next general) election, they can.
The Prime Minister said this while addressing the inaugural session of the Sixth Triennial Council of the Bangladesh Mohila Awami League (BMAL), the women’s wing of the ruling Awami League, at the historic Suhrawardy Garden in the capital city here this afternoon.
“Many people say there should be a dialogue. With whom will the dialogue happen, is it with the BNP, the convicts, Khaleda Zia and Tariq Zia, who wanted to kill me with grenade attacks?” he said.
The prime minister asked whether he would have to negotiate with the corrupt, the orphans’ money embezzlers, the money launderers, the arms smugglers, the grenade launchers, the killers of Ivy Rahman.
He said that Khaleda Zia’s husband Ziaur Rahman was the murderer of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She said, “They are talking about human rights (but trying to negotiate with BNP to take them in the election). I want to ask them what kind of demand it is.”
The Prime Minister asserted that the people of the country would hold the elections even if any party boycotted it and that they would not accept rigging of votes.
Referring to the election conducted by Khaleda Zia on February 15, 1996, he said that the people of the country did not accept the election and threw her out of power within a month and a half of the election.
“Khaleda Zia had to resign (from power) on allegations of vote rigging,” he said.