Dr Salim Mahmud, Information and Research Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is hard hit by US new visa policy for four reasons.
However, ruling Awami League is not likely to be affected by the visa policy.
About the first reason, he said the main aim of BNP politics in the last few years was to reinstate the caretaker regime and force AL government to hold election under the interim government. They are adamant not to participate in any elections unless this caretaker government is in place. All their political strategies evolve round it. This new US policy does not contain any element to support BNP's movement to establish the caretaker regime.
In the past years, BNP has left its politics with foreign intrigues. During the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, they spent thousands of crores of money in lobbying abroad. Leaving the field of politics, they went door to door of ambassadors and diplomats in Dhaka. They have been engaged in malicious campaign as to come to power by upsetting the government with sanctions against Bangladesh. But US visa policy has nothing to do with sanction, he told of the second reason.
Dr Salim termed BNP’s misconception about acceptable poll the third reason, he said BNP is determined not go to any election under Sheikh Hasina without a non-partisan and poll-time government. BNP also thinks that election will not be acceptable at home and abroad, if not participated by it. Such assumption has been shattered by the US visa policy.”
“Fourthly, BNP and its allies are mulling violent obstruction to any elections under Sheikh Hasina- led government. In the past, the party resorted to such violence, arson and killing of common people across the country to press home their absurd demand. Any obstruction to election is defined as an offence by the USA policy,” he added.
Chandpur District Awami League Vice President Ayub Ali Patwari, Kachua Upazila Awami League General Secretary Sohrab Hossain Chowdhury Sohag, Mayor of Kachua Municipality and President of Upazila Jubo League Nazmul Alam Swapan, Organizing Secretary of Upazila Awami League Ziaur Rahman Hatem, Vice Chairman of Upazila Parishad and President of Municipal Jubo League Mahbub Alam, Chairman of North Gohat Union No. 10 Kabir Hossain, Chairman of Ashrafpur Union No. 12 Rezaul Mawla Helal, Chairman of No. 6 North Kachua Union Akhtar Hossain, Chairman of No. 4 Palakhal Model Union Habib Mazumder Joy, District Awami League Member Jotsna Akter, former Chairman of Union No. 9 Ahsan Habib Jewel, No 4 Union Awami League President Ahad Miah, General Secretary Umar Farooq, Awami League leader Omar Farooq Shamim, Principal of Central Women's College Shafiqul Islam, Principal of Palakhal Rostam Ali Degree College Nazrul Islam, Convener of Upazila Chhatra League Salahuddin Sarkar, among others, were present in the programme.
