Press conference Of Khaleda Zia About Caretaker Government Issue

Shekh Hasina(PM) closes door to discussion: Khaleda(opposition Leader)

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Saturday Said that, the prime minister of closing all doors to discussions on the caretaker government issue and warned of tougher, non-stop movement if the government did not step back on its move to scrap the caretaker government provision.
‘The prime minister is trying for political gains by triggering controversies with contradictory statements. A few weeks ago, she said that caretaker government would be retained. And now on the plea of a controversial verdict, she says that there is no scope for retaining the provision,’ she alleged.
‘If there remains no scope for retaining the caretaker government provision, why should the opposition place its arguments? She has closed the door to discussion,’ Khaleda said at a jam-packed news conference in her office at Gulshan in the evening.
‘We emphatically say that the government did not take any mandate from people to scrap provisions for holding parliamentary elections under the caretaker government. So, the arrangement of elections under the political government on the plea of court ruling or on any other excuses will not be acceptable to people and not to us as well,’ she said before Sunday’s nationwide general strike in protest at the move to revoke the caretaker government system.
Khaleda said that the BNP would go for tougher, non-stop movement if the government did not refrain itself from the evil attempt at doing away with the caretaker government system. ‘The provision for the caretaker government in the constitution will have to be retained as it is after the 13th amendment.’
Khaleda said that the prime minister could anticipate the results if fair elections were held now. ‘So, she is conspiring to hold the elections being in office and change the people’s mandate by mechanical or digital rigging of the polls with the so-called electronic voting machines.’
‘We know it well that if she fails to hold elections being in office, she will try to form the caretaker government headed by her loyal former chief justice Khairul Haque,’ Khaleda said.
Khaleda said that the authority to amend the constitution lies solely with the parliament and not with any court. So, the implementation of any court ruling regarding the constitution amendment was not mandatory for the parliament, she added.
She came down heavily on the court ruling regarding the constitution amendment saying that it was not a unanimous verdict. ‘The judges could not reach a consensus over it. Majority of the people criticised it and it is not given in keeping with laws and the constitution. It is contradictory, weak, illogical and controversial,’ she said.
The government is conspiring to revoke the caretaker government provision by changing the constitution on the plea of the verdict of a judge loyal to the government. ‘Even the Awami League government is trying to avoid part of the verdict which allows the holding of the next two general elections under the caretaker government,’ she said.
Khaleda said that the BNP had called a daylong general strike for Sunday. ‘It is not to serve the purpose of any individual or any party. It is in the national interest to protect the people’s right to franchise,’ she said.
In response to a question on the call of the businesspeople for withdrawal of the general strike, Khaleda said, ‘That businessman is controversial. He is a cadre of the Awami League. His opinion does not count