The ruling party will have to face trial if it does not accept the seven-point demands of the Jatiya Oikya Front, says its leader Dr Kamal Hossain.
In the second public meeting of the new political coalition on Saturday, the Gano Forum president threatened to bring the government to justice in future.
“The people have given their verdict in favour of the demands just like the mass verdict in Sylhet. We would like to tell the government to accept the demands before time runs out. Or else, you’ll have to face trial,” he told the rally in Chattogram.
Addressing the gathering in front of BNP office at Kazir Dewri in the port city, Dr Kamal said, “If you violate or ignore peoples’ decision, you can’t even imagine the punishment that you will get for it.”
The last general election was not a fair one as well as was not in line with the Constitution, he claimed.
“The Jan 5 2014 national polls were not fair. It was not in line with the Constitution. So the Oikya Front has launched the seven demands to ensure a free and fair election. The Oikya Front will not return home until the demands are met,”
The government will be forced to accept their alliance’s demands as the people are united, added Kamal Hossain.
The government will have to face trial for harassing people by implicating in ‘false’ charges.
“There’s nothing impossible to achieve when people get united as we had proved it in the past, including during the Liberation War,” he added.
During his speech, thousands of supporters and activists of the newly floated election-oriented alliance started chanting slogans demanding immediate release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.
Responding to their call, Kamal said, “It is not a matter of raising demand to free her (Khaleda) from jail rather it is the issue of getting her released from imprisonment.”
“Khaleda Zia has been confined in jail. The government will have to be held accountable and must be punished for such confinement,” he sounded a note of caution.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who also addressed the rally, said leaders and activists of the Jatiya Oikyafront will return home only after realising its seven-point demand including holding of the next general election under a polls-time non-partisan government and ensuring immediate release of imprisoned BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
“We have faced many repressive acts of the government. Even, many of us have met the fate of enforced disappearance and killing. We will not bow our head to any misdeeds. We will return home only after realising the seven-point demand,” he said.
Before landing in jail, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia told her party men to form a greater national unity to build a strong resistance against the government’s misdeeds and wrongdoing, he said.