Boycott polls, spend time with family at home: Rizvi

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has called upon the people of the country to boycott the national polls and stay home with family on 7 January.

"Avoid going to polling booths on 7 January and spend time with your family. Also encourage others to refrain from going to polling booths," he said in a virtual press conference this afternoon (6 January).

The BNP leader also claimed that the ruling party is falsely accusing the BNP of sabotage by carrying out such activities themselves.

"But the people of the country understand that these [allegations] are fictitious and baseless," he said.

"On behalf of the BNP, I have called for an international investigation into the brutal, barbaric and disgraceful incident of fire in the Benapole Express train last night. 

"We demand the arrest of those involved and their exemplary punishment," Rizvi said.

Mentioning that the Bangladesh Railway formed a seven-member investigation committee, Rizvi noted that the detective branch found the involvement of BNP leaders in this incident.

"On the other hand, Awami League leaders are blaming the BNP for this incident," he said, adding that the DB police picked up seven people, including Dhaka South Joint Convenor Nabi Ullah Nabi for no crime at all. 

"Now they are being brutally tortured." 

Rizvi claimed that blaming the BNP after every sabotage incident has become a habit of Awami League, police, and administration. 

"They do it so that the peaceful movement of the opposition can be shown as violent in the international arena. They did the same in 1996, 2013, 2014 and 2015." 

Urging people to boycott the polls, Rizvi said, "Already a day before this mockery of an election, Awami League men are posting pictures on social media of ballot papers being sealed on the boat symbol. Pictures of Gaibandha-4 ballot papers being sealed proves what kind of election is going to be staged on Sunday."

The senior BNP leader also mentioned that in the last 48 hours, 255 leaders and activists of the BNP were arrested and 16 cases were filed accusing 1,355 people.

Commonwealth's statement calling for peaceful voting environment does not reflect reality: BNP

The BNP claimed that the statement issued by the commonwealth secretary-general calling for maintaining a peaceful voting environment for the Jatiya Sangsad polls does not reflect the reality of Bangladesh.

"Such a call by the commonwealth secretary-general has shocked the democracy-loving people of Bangladesh who have been deprived of democratic governance for more than a decade," the BNP said in a statement today. 

Earlier on 5 January, after a meeting with a six-member election observer team from the Commonwealth, the Election Commission said the team expressed satisfaction with its arrangements for the national election scheduled for 7 January.