Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina BNP boycotted elections as it got no assurance of coming to power: Sheikh Hasina
Dhaka, Jan 29: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that BNP always wants to come to power with the help of other forces instead of people's mandate.
She said whenever election comes, they (BNP) look for some other force that can put them in power.
Prime Minister said this during a courtesy meeting with a cross-party parliamentary delegation of UK led by Birendra Sharma MP, Vice-Chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh (APPG) and Chair of APPG on Indo-British Affairs, at Ganabhaban.
Prime Minister's Speech Writer Md. Nazrul Islam briefed the journalists after the meeting.
The Prime Minister said that BNP always wants to secure power by any means.
Referring to the last January 7 and 2014 general elections, she said, "If they don't get any assurance that someone will bring them to power, they will boycott the elections."
The Prime Minister said that the BNP traded nominations for the 2018 elections, but boycotted the election on election day as it was not guaranteed to come to power.
She said, “BNP is a terrorist group. They never came to power through fair elections."
Referring to the 2008 general elections, she said, the elections were free, fair and participatory and no one questioned its fairness. Whereas the BNP-led alliance got only 30 seats and the Awami League alone got 233 seats.
She said that it was their choice not to participate in the last January 7 parliamentary elections.
The Prime Minister said that the BNP was born in the hands of a military dictator in the cantonment.
She said that person (Ziaur Rahman) has corrupted the electoral system through yes/no vote and presidential election.
