Main opposition BNP today claimed that over 9,200 of its activists were arrested since the declaration of election schedule on November 8.

“Our activists were sued in 806 ghost cases since then,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary of the party, said at a press conference at Nayapaltan.

He claimed, 12,588 activists of BNP and its alliance Jatiya Oikyafront were injured in 2,716 incidents of attacks throughout the country in the last 22 days.

So far, eight opposition activists have been killed in election violence, he added.

“The government is applying all its power to oust BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront from the election,” Rizvi claimed. “Our activists are targeted from rally footages.”

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today alleged that people do not have the right to vote in the country.

The spirit of liberation war was to establish a democratic society but unfortunately, the democracy has completely disappeared from the country 49 years after the liberation war, Fakhrul said.

Fakhrul was talking to journalists this morning after placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar to pay tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War marking the 49th Victory Day.

Fakhrul vowed to restore democracy by uniting people through the sprit of liberation and free from BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.

Khaleda Zia was elected prime minister for three times but she was kept in jail mercilessly and oppressively, he said.

BNP Standing Committee Members Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain and Abdul Moyeen Khan and party joint secretary general Khairul Kabir Khokon, among others, were present at that time.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said that the entire nation was stunned over the Supreme Court's judgement that rejected its Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s bail prayer in the Zia Charitable Trust corruption case.

“We are disappointed and aggrieved over the rejection of the bail petition of Khaleda Zia. The entire nation was stunned as well,” Fakhrul came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting at the party chief Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in Dhaka this evening.

People have expected that their leader (Khaleda) would get justice from the court but she was unfortunately denied by the court, the BNP leader said.

Nationwide demo Sunday   

As part of the programme to free Khaleda Zia from jail, BNP will stage a demonstration and bring out processions across the country to press home their demand.

Leaders and activists of the party will hold rally and bring out processions at thana-level headquarters across Dhaka on the day, Fakhrul said.      

BNP will also come up with next course of programme immediately to ensure release of Khaleda Zia from jail, the party secretary general said.

“We strongly believe that the people with their enthusiastic participation in the protest programme would force the government to cancel result of the December 30 national election and to hold a fresh election under a nonparty and neutral government and election commission,” he said.

Meanwhile, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the government has nothing to do with Khaleda Zia's corruption case.

"The judiciary is enjoying full freedom under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's rule. The case against Khaleda Zia is a corruption case. So, there's nothing to do by the government with it," Quader, also road, transport and bridges minister, told journalists while speaking at the triennial council of Kurigram district Awami League in Kurigram.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said that the entire nation is disappointed as Awami League did not outline any plan during its national council to get rid of the country’s prevailing crisis.

“Awami League has been working to establish one-party rule in the country since the last decade and the desire exposed during its council,” Fakhrul said while addressing a programme at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka this noon.

Blaming the ruling party for destroying the country’s democratic system and ignoring its charter, Fakhrul said, “The entire nation has expected that they would see a path to retrieve the smashed democracy, but Awami League met an utter failure to show any guideline.”

Citing the country’s political and social and economic crises, the BNP leader said, “A person and a party have been praised during the council instead of getting rid the nation from the debacle.”

Responding to a query about his party’s council, he said, “We are passing through an adverse situation as no space is being given us for politics.”

The party’s organisational activities are being hampered everywhere even the party’s district and upazila level councils are being barred deliberately, the BNP leader said.

Responding to a remark of a minister that BNP-Jamaat is involved in preparing Razakars’ list, Fakhrul said, “It is nothing but an attempt to shift the blame to on another shoulder. It’s not a new and its Awami League characteristic.”