BANGLADESH

Explaining BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's 'final match' remarks on Thursday, the party's acting secretary-general has said she was hinting at preparations for the next general election under a caretaker government.

"But BNP won't join the election if it's held under the present partisan government," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir warned on Friday.

"Our leader [Khaleda] talked about playing the match. The match is to derail the government through an impartial election under the caretaker provision. That's why, a playing field must be prepared for this," he told a discussion in the city.

"But, if the referee and linesmen turn out to be yours [the government], we won't play the final match," Fakhrul added.

He urged everyone to take part in the 'ultimate movement' announced by Khaleda on Sep 27 at a rally to garner support against the government.

The main opposition chief announced 'three road march' programme starting October 10 from Sylhet, Rajshahi and Chittagong at the Naya Paltan rally.

At a programme on Thursday, she said, "In our road marches, we will tell the nation about the government's tyranny and corruption. Then we will prepare for a final match after the road marches in October."

Meanwhile, responding to Khaleda's remark, Awami League presidium member Obaidul Quader on Friday said that governments cannot be ousted by fixing dates.

He said, "If the Sep 27 rally was the first round, then BNP is 'daydreaming' to play the finals without playing in the second round, quarter finals or semi-finals."

Fakhrul, however, said that the present government has led the country to backwardness. "We've begun our movement to establish the caretaker government by ousting this government."

"Our party chief has already said that no election will be held without caretakers. That's why we are protesting. We want to cast them [government] out through the election," he told the discussion at the party headquarters at Naya Paltan.

The government also tried to fool the people by annulling the caretaker provision and reinstating secularism in the constitution through the 15th amendment to the constitution, he added.