Leaders of the BNP, Juktafront and Gonoforum yesterday stressed the need for unity to wage a movement for a fair and acceptable national election under a neutral administration after dissolving parliament.

Specific programmes would be announced soon, they said at a discussion titled “Boycotting Electronic Voting Machines: national election and political alliance” at the Jatiya Press Club organised by Nagorik Oikya.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “Let us unite and wage a movement…. We will try to protect the people's rights and save the country even at the cost of the last drop of our blood.”

Nagorik Oikya, Bikolpodhara Bangladesh and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal formed Juktafront in December last year.

The programmes would not cause sufferings to commuters, said Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury of Bikolpodhara.

“Democracy exists only for the ruling party, not for the opposition. We have tolerated the undemocratic situation and autocratic rule in the country for many years in the name of democracy. We will not tolerate this anymore,” he said. 

Badruddoza urged the government to deploy armed forces 30 days before the election and continue the deployment 10 days afterwards.

The government should scrap the requirement of permission for holding rallies in the country, he said.

Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hossain urged all democratic and non-communal forces to unite in effort to establish democracy.

"Those who gathered on this stage want to forge a national unity so that we can establish a pure democracy, an effective parliament and an accountable government.

"We'll unite against injustice. It is the nature of the Bangalees not to bow down to injustice. We must free ourselves from injustice," he said.

ASM Abdur Rob of JSD and Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagorik Oikya agreed to announce joint programmes soon. 

Maj Gen (retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Prof Dilara Chowdhury and Prof Asif Nazrul also spoke at the event.