Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader has alleged that the interim government wants to stay in power by securing a “Yes” victory in the name of a referendum.
“Their staying in power would mean NCP and Jamaat remain in power. The final design of this meticulous design is the referendum,” he claimed.
He made these allegations while speaking to journalists at his Skyview residence in the city on Thursday evening. Presidium member Azmal Hossain Lebu, Swachchasebak Party leader Faruq, and other central and local leaders were present.
GM Quader further alleged that if the public does not understand the issue of voting “No” in the referendum, the country will be destroyed.
“The current government is dangling the carrot of reform in the name of a referendum but is not clearly explaining to the people what reform entails,” he said. “Reform is just their pretext. They want to use the name of a referendum to secure a ‘Yes’ victory and stay in power. The interim government staying in power means NCP will be in power. Jamaat will be in power. That is why they have taken up the pretext of a referendum to prolong their power.”
GM Quader said, “If ‘Yes’ wins the referendum, then even if BNP wins this election and forms a government, that government will have no real power. Power will remain with NCP and Jamaat. The police will remain. The military will remain. So when they (the elected government) try to do something, when they object saying ‘this is not right,’ then they will unleash Chhatra Shibir on the streets. They will unleash them with weapons. The people of the country will have no recourse but to accept them. A rule of fear and intimidation will be established. A rule of terror will be established. If we say ‘No’ in the referendum, we will be freed from this terror, freed from this rule of fear.”
GM Quader alleged, “Yunus’s appointing authority is not the people of Bangladesh; the appointing authority is the ‘meticulous’ force. Their final stage of meticulous design is the referendum. The final stage is that they will remain in power. Those who are elected, the parliament, those who form the government will be given no power. They will say the people gave us a mandate. Then they will rule the country. Then the country will become a country rich in communalism and extremism, somewhat resembling Pakistan. That means they are saying the independence we achieved through the Liberation War of ’71 was a mistake. So, by abandoning the Liberation War of ’71, they will create a state akin to Pakistani hegemony. This is the meticulous design. This is what saying ‘Yes’ in the referendum means.”
Earlier in the evening, he arrived in Rangpur from Dhaka to campaign in his own constituency, Rangpur-3.
