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Caretaker must be on agenda

Says Khaleda about president's dialogue on EC formation

Staff correspondent
The issue of caretaker government must be kept in the agenda for making fruitful the dialogue initiated by President Zillur Rahman, said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday.
"We respect the president and that is why we will attend the dialogue. But the care-
taker government issue has to be discussed before talking about the Election Commission, as no election commission will be able to work neutrally under the Awami League government," she said while addressing a rally of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital.
The pro-BNP student organisation organised the rally on the occasion of its 33rd founding anniversary. Several thousand JCD leaders and activists attended the rally carrying portraits of Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman. The crowd spilled over into the adjacent thoroughfare causing traffic congestion in the area.
President Zillur Rahman invited BNP to join him in a dialogue he initiated on formation of the next Election Commission. BNP's dialogue with the president is scheduled for January 11 at Bangabhaban.
Khaleda at the rally made a blistering attack on the government for its "failures", saying the AL-led government could not implement its electoral pledges in the last three years, and people in the government have even forgotten many pledges.
Demanding elections to Ducsu (Dhaka University Central Students Union) and
student unions of residential halls, the leader of the opposition asked the Dhaka University vice-chancellor to create a congenial atmosphere on the campus so that pro-opposition students may use the campus freely.
Asking JCD leaders and activists to be united against the government she labelled autocratic, and to be aware about controversial persons within their organisation, the BNP chairperson said she did not use students as cannon-fodder for politics or for going to power, and she will never do that either.
She urged JCD members to be prepared to elect their leadership through votes in the future, and to be liberal, modern, and secular. Currently the JCD central committee is selected by the BNP chairperson.
"The new committee of the organisation will be announced soon, but you have to give emphasis on
ideology rather than posts. Good, talented, loyal and dedicated leaders will be included in the new committee," she said accusing pro-AL student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League of criminal activities.
"We did not allow Chhatra Dal to get involved in any wrongdoing when we were in power," she claimed.
The former premier said the country is now in an acute crisis, as corruption has spread all over the society "from palaces to villages".
"The parliament has become ineffective. The government made the administration partisan. People of BNP are becoming victims of secret killings. Rab is being used to suppress the opposition. Double standards are being maintained in the sector of law and judiciary," she said.
Accusing ruling AL of politicking with the legacy of Liberation War, Khaleda said
Jamaat-e-Islami was a friend of AL when they were in a movement together for introducing the caretaker government system. " Jamaat was not a war criminal to them back then," she quipped.
She said people are now with BNP and that is why the government wants to eliminate her party, but none will get any respite by making Jatiya Party the main opposition. "Ershad himself is antiliberation. Check what was his role during the Liberation War," she said.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Khandakder Mosharraf Hossain, Amanullah Aman, and Fazlul Haque Milon also spoke among others, while JCD President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku presided over the rally.
Earlier, Khaleda inaugurated the programme by hoisting the national flag and releasing pigeons.