The ruling Awami League (AL) has once again rejected BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s longstanding demand to hold the next general election under a neutral poll-time government. “The next polls will be held under the Election Commission (EC) and not under a non-partisan government. As in other democratic countries, the incumbent government will only help the EC to hold the election in a free, fair and credible manner,” AL general secretary Obaidul Quader told reporters yesterday.

Quader, who is also the road transport and bridges minister, made the statement in reaction to Khaleda’s demand for a neutral poll-time government. Earlier in the day, the BNP chairperson had told a huge public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the city that no election would be allowed to be held under the dispensation

of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  Khaleda also demanded that the Army be deployed with magistracy power during the national polls.

Reacting to the demand for Army deployment, Quader told reporters at Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office that Khaleda herself had not deployed the army with magistracy power in the past general elections that were held during her 10-year tenure.

“It’s up to the EC whether it would deploy the Army with magistracy power in the next polls or not. We’ll have no objection against the EC’s decision in this regard,” he said.

About the BNP’s stance against electronic voting machines (EVM), Quader said the question was why the opposition party does not want the use of latest technology in the elections. “I think the BNP wants mechanised elections like that in 2001. But the nation doesn’t want to see such elections anymore,” he added.

About the resignation of Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, the minister accused the BNP of spreading falsehoods and doing politics over the issue. He said the BNP’s charge that the Chief Justice was forced to resign from his office is “ridiculous”.

The AL leader also urged Khaleda to apologise to the nation for the killing of hundreds of people by setting them on fire during her party’s three-month-long violent programme in a bid to foil the January 5 general election in 2014.

“The AL always does positive politics. If the BNP wants to do so, we welcome them,” he said.

AL joint general secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanok, party office secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap, organising secretaries Ahmed Hossain and Enamul Haque Shamim and central leader SM Kamal, among others, were present during the programme.