‘If confident, why don’t you join polls instead of making excuses’

If you are so confident, then why don’t you join the election instead of making excuses one after another to obstruct it?, questioned BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

He also criticised Jamaat’s demand for banning Jatiya Party and members of the 14-party alliance while the party is now on the streets together with a party that contested the January 7, 2024 national election held under Sheikh Hasina’s rule.

“There were a few rallies of some political parties across the country on Friday. Some newspapers carried headlines today saying that Jamaat leaders claimed they will form the government while BNP will sit in opposition. But who decides that? Is it you, or is it the people? If you are so confident, then why don’t you join the election instead of making excuses one after another to obstruct it?”Salahuddin Ahmedsaid at a youth dialogue titled ‘Human Value-based Education and Campuses,’ at the Institution of Diploma Engineers on Saturday.

“Among the seven parties (in Jamaat’s movement alliance), one is now your ally that took part in the sham election on January 7, 2024,” he said without mentioning the party’s name.

In an indirect reference to Islami Andolan Bangladesh, he said this party was also a partner of Awami League as it joined previous elections, except the 2024 national one, held under Sheikh Hasina.

The BNP leader said BNP knows what Jamaat’s real purpose is-to derail the national election. “We will tell you (people) about it in a few days.”