BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said that the government is not eager to arrange the next general election in a free, fair and inclusive manner.

“The Prime Minister is trying to establish a one-party rule. We don't think she intends to accept people's verdict. She also has no plans to take steps for creating a level playing field for all parties to ensure a participatory election,” Fakhrul said in his reaction to the PM's speech on Sunday on different issues including the upcoming general election.

Speaking at a programme held on the Supreme Court premises, Fakhrul said the 11th parliamentary election is knocking on the door while the ruling party is continuing arrests of opposition party men.

Claiming that the entire nation is disappointed after hearing the prime minister's speech, Fakhrul said the country is going through a critical time over the fate of the upcoming general election.

The nation expected the prime minister to provide a positive indication for the sake of the people and democracy, to ensure equal scope for all political parties in the next election, but she did not do that, he said.

“The prime minister has rejected the people's demand. It is her failure and the government must be held responsible for this,” he said.

Earlier at another programme, Fakhrul termed BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman “a victim of the government's politics of vengeance, has long been in exile.” 

“Tarique Rahman has been implicated in the August 21 grenade attack case deliberately,” Fakhrul said.

Fakhrul was speaking at a press conference at the party's central office in Dhaka's Nayapaltan, marking the 11th anniversary of Tarique Rahman's release.

Fakhrul said the 1/11 government could not implicate Tarique in the case while Awami League-led government had done that in a supplementary charge sheet.

Tarique Rahman was arrested during the rule of the army-backed caretaker government on March 7, 2007. He secured bail from the court on September 3, 2008 and went to London for medical treatment. Since then he has been living there. 

“I think, Tarique Rahman is not yet physically fit, and he can't return home as he has been implicated in various false cases,” Fakhrul said.

Fakhrul alleged that the ruling Awami League is “turning the country into a prison with its misrule”, and said Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman have been subjected to extreme political vengeance.