Will not go to polls under current EC: BNP

Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the party will not go to polls under the current Election Commission (EC), let alone an election using Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).

The BNP leader made the remark Friday after paying respects at the mausoleum of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman on the occasion of the 30th founding anniversary of the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Dal.

Referring to the EC as the government's agent he said, "The EC has decided to use EVMs in 150 seats as a means of bringing the Awami League to power in a different way just like in 2014 and 2018."

Mosharraf said the commission reflects the will of the government.

"People will not accept their decision," he said, adding, "People's lives have become miserable because of the failure of those in power."

"The next national elections should be held under a new commission, he said.

In another event on Friday commemorating National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam's death anniversary, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said defeating Awami League is their key goal as the ruling party "has become fascist and a monster".

Fakhrul further said, "Kazi Nazrul seems more relevant to me and I want to follow his paths when Chhatra Dal leader Nur-e Alam was shot dead in Bhola, Elias Ali went missing, our leaders-activists were tortured and when we saw our chairperson Khaleda Zia unjustly imprisoned."

Jatiyatabadi Sangskritik Foundation arranged the discussion and poetry recitation, commemorating national poet Kazi Nazrul on the occasion of his 46th death anniversary.

As special guest, BNP Senior Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman brought national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam in Bangladesh. But Ziaur Rahman gave him the country's citizenship, because the BNP founder, as a nationalist leader, realised that the soil of Bangladesh is the key inspiration of his (Kazi Nazrul) songs, poetry, ideas, spirit and music.

Humayun Kabir Bepari, general secretary of Jatiyatabadi Sangskritik Foundation, also spoke at the programme, with BNP Chairperson's adviser poet Abdul Hye Shikder in the chair.