STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The country has been freed from fascism for now, but ultimate freedom will be achieved only when the Awami League is politically eliminated, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.

“There will be no compromise with those who loot banks, launder money, and grab people’s property. We will not accept them. We will not let them come forward in any way,” he told a rally in the capital’s Azimpur yesterday.

Fakhrul also emphasised the return to democracy, saying people want the country to be run by an elected government.

“Our chief adviser has announced that an election will be held in mid-February. We want this election. Right now, there’s nowhere to go. Suppose I have a problem -- whom do I turn to? There’s no MP.

“Who will raise my problems in parliament? There’s no one. Who will speak about my demands in parliament? That’s why we need an election soon. We need a parliament soon, where we can speak about our issues.”

The BNP leader said every time the AL or other parties come to power, “they loot us, and we don’t want to let that happen anymore”.

“We have said we want democracy. What is democracy? It means people can express their opinions, cast their votes. By voting, they will choose their representatives. Those representatives will run the country.”

Fakhrul said, “As Hasina did -- holding daytime “This is

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