Kangaroo courts set up to wipe out BNP leadership: Rizvi

The government has been hurriedly sentencing the opposition leaders and workers using "partisan" judges to eliminate BNP, party Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said today.

Speaking at a sudden rally in the city's Bangla Motor area, Rizvi warned that the government will not be able to hang on to power by jailing and sentencing the BNP leaders and activists.

"The government has set up a kangaroo court to wipe out the BNP leadership. The trial in fictitious cases is going on there day and night. The police are filing the fictitious cases and they are also giving depositions," the BNP leader said.

He alleged that some "partisan" judges are swiftly delivering judgments one after another against BNP and opposition party leaders in the name of farcical trial, ignoring the law.

"We want to say that this illegal and fascist regime can't be able to sustain by these dictated verdicts and sentences," he added.

Rizvi said the opposition parties have been eliminated from the election field by arresting their leaders and workers in various 'false' cases.

"They [ruling party] are only in the field. Once the nomination papers of dummy and independent candidates were cancelled by the returning officers, again on appeal all the revoked nomination papers were shown to be valid."

He alleged that the government and the Election Commission are staging a game in the name of the election by fielding many independent and dummy candidates. 

"There will be no benefit from doing these things as the people have caught all the blueprints of the government. People have woken up and taken to the streets. The people of the country will resist the government's election of [seat] sharing," the BNP leader said.

Rizvi along with around 20-25 leaders and workers of Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal brought out a sudden procession in the Bangla Motor area around 7am in support of the opposition's 36-hour blockade.

They chanted slogans in favour of the blockade and against the 7 January election schedule. 

The leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies also brought out sudden processions in indifferent areas of the capital, including Dhanmondi, Tejgaon, Mirpur, Jatrabari, Karwan Bazar, Banani, Jhigatola, Dainik Bangla, Fakirapool, Khilgaon, Arambagh, Moghbazar, Segunbacgicha, Central Road and Rampura.

BNP and other parties enforced the 36-hour road-rail-waterways blockade across the country at 6am today (Tuesday) to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC).

This was the 12th blockade called by BNP and like-minded opposition parties since 31 October.