If not AL, others will contest Khaleda says AL has no chance to win, they can boycott elections if they want Star report Prime Minister (PM) Khaleda Zia yesterday said if the main opposition boycotts the elections, there are many other political parties ready to contest the polls. Urging the main opposition to participate in the upcoming elections, she said it would stand a loser if it does not. Without naming Awami League (AL), she said: "They have no chance to win the election and they cannot form government. This is why they want to foil the election. They want to boycott the election that they can do. But there are many more parties eager to participate in the elections." She said this is the reason that the particular party says it will not let the election be held. Khaleda was speaking at a public rally at the Kabirhat Government College playground in Noakhali. UNB from Kabirhat, Noakhali adds: Hinting at AL, the PM said those opposing the election would have to take part in the polls or else further lose people's support and get less parliamentary seats in future than what they got in the last election. "The only path is election as the caretaker government will hand over power to those who will win the election," Khaleda, also the ruling BNP chairperson, told a big public meeting at Kabirhat College ground. The PM made it clear that the country would run according to the constitution and "not go by certain person or party's wish. As per constitution, the last-retired chief justice will be the chief adviser of the caretaker government, she told her audience amidst claps. "But they [AL] have fixed their choice as to whom they would make chief adviser." Khaleda observed that they don't want continuity of democratic process and don't believe in multiparty democracy but want to re-establish "one-party BAKSAL" system. The prime minister said that, according to the constitution, they would hand over power to a caretaker government next month and the caretaker government would conduct the general election. "Knowing it full well they (opposition) are unnecessarily enforcing hartal and siege unleashing chaos and indiscipline as they don't want peace, progress and development and welfare of the country and its people," she told the gathering. As much as election is coming nearer so much are they creating chaos and indiscipline in the country, the PM alleged. She pointed out that they (AL) had come to power through election under caretaker government in 1996 as well as they, during their rule, had appointed election commissioners and prepared new voter list. "Now the Election Commission is preparing a correct voter list and working well, but they don't want fair election and voter list," Khaleda said. "We, too, want a correct voter list for free and fair election," she said, adding that the opposition, instead of cooperating with the EC, is unnecessarily obstructing their work. Khaleda alleged that the opposition wants to boycott and foil the general election as they have no chances of winning the election, but many other parties are ready to take part in the election. "They want to snatch away the voting and democratic rights of the people." The BNP chairperson said the people of Bangladesh are united in favour of peace, development and public welfare pursued by her party and government. "They are against destructive and antidevelopment politics." Listing her almost five-year-old government's successes and massive development activities across the country, the PM said when Bangladesh has been advancing quickly, the opposition resorted to politics of hartal, gherao and siege, arson and killing. "Their popularity has been on the decline for their terrorist activities, corruption and for not doing public-welfare activities," she noted. Khaleda said the way her government has carried out works, the appearance of Bangladesh has changed on all fronts as reflected in the increased per-capita income, purchasing capacity, export, local and foreign investments, employment, life expectancy, literacy rate and foreign-currency reserve. She urged people to vote for 'sheaf of paddy' and BNP and its alliance to complete the ongoing development activities and carry forward the roadmap of development to build a self-reliant and prosperous Bangladesh. Presided over by Law Minister and local MP Moudud Ahmed, the rally was also addressed by PM's Political Secretary Harris Chowdhury, State Minister for LGRD Ziaul Huq Zia, Mahbubur Rahman MP, Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal president Barkatullah Bulu, Md Shajahan MP and MA Hashem MP. Earlier, Prime Minister Khaleda inaugurated Noakhali BSCIC Industrial Estate at Ashyadia, and the newly built Kabirhat pourashava bhaban and auditorium and laid the foundation stone of the upazila complex of the newly created Kabirhat upazila.

Both polls, reforms will take place Hasina says no third-party intervention needed, rejects elections under KM Hasan Unb, Dhaka Opposition leader Sheikh Hasina yesterday brushed aside any political crisis in the country and asserted that election must be held in time with implementation of the proposed electoral reforms. "There is no need for mediation or third-party intervention…People of this country are enough to resolve the problems on their own," she said at a briefing with the members of Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB) at Sonargaon Hotel. Hasina said: "There will be elections and reforms too, but there cannot be a free and fair election under Justice KM Hasan as he is not a neutral man--he was the international affairs secretary of the BNP." The opposition leader said there are options within the constitution to find a non-party, neutral caretaker chief and cited various alternatives provided in the constitution. In this context, she cited article 58 of the constitution. "We are not afraid of any third force. Election must be held after reforms," she told a questioner. OCAB President Shamim Ahmad presided over the press meet and Kadir kollol, its general secretary, made the introductory statement. Hasina questioned why the government will not accept the reforms relating to caretaker government and the Election Commission if it wants fair elections. "We're prepared for election, but election must be free and fair," she told a questioner when asked if she started preparation for the forthcoming general election. About the stalled process of government-opposition dialogue on reforms, she alleged the government has shut down the door of dialogue by not responding to the opposition's latest letter. However, she questioned government's sincerity about the outcome of the dialogue as the BNP dropped the name of its secretary general from the panel of negotiators. Asked about Ershad, Hasina said Ershad is an autocrat and the BNP called him "killer" of Ziaur Rahman, but they are trying to induct him into the alliance "to win the election at any cost In reply to a question about the prime minister's allegation that the opposition wants to foil the election, Hasina made a counter-attack, saying that it is the four-party alliance that will foil the polls if they sense that they have no chance of winning the polls. Speaking on corruption, Hasina said although the BNP-Jamaat government waged war on corruption but Bangladesh became "champion in corruption" repeatedly during their tenure. "The prime minister and her son are accused of siphoning off thousands of crores of taka abroad," she told the journalists representing foreign media.