Dhaka: Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday termed hollow Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s proposals for reconstitution of the Election Commission.

“The so-called reform formulas placed by Begum Zia for the Election Commission are nothing but hollow and a mockery with the nation,” he told a press conference at AL President’s Dhanmondi political office in Dhaka.

The press conference was arranged on the heels of the announcement of the proposals by the BNP chief.

The AL leader alleged that BNP and its chief are spreading misleading information to create controversy over the EC formation.

He said AL will not move back from the tradition of search committee introduced by late President Zillur Rahman for reconstitution of the Election Commission. “There’s no scope of deviating from the tradition as well.” 

Khaleda Zia at a city hotel on Friday unveiled a 13-point proposal for the formation of a new stronger and neutral Election Commission (EC) to hold credible elections saying that the next Commission must be constituted based on the consensus of all political parties ahead of the 11th general election to be held in 2019. 

She came up with her party's proposals as the incumbent Commission headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad is set to complete its five-year tenure on February 8, 2017.

Khaleda’s proposals focused on determining the qualifications of election commissioners and formation of a search committee for appointing election commissioners on the basis of a consensus among political parties, keeping the partisan election officials out of election duty, and deployment of defence forces with magisterial power during the polls.

The AL general secretary said the BNP leader expressed her mistrust of the country’s people, government servants, police, Rab and BGB through her speech.

If there is anything good and acceptable in her speech can be considered, he said, adding that the President will take the decision in this regard. It’s the President’s discretion whom he would call or not, he said.

Being isolated from people for its wrong politics, BNP and its leader are resorting to falsehood, Quader, also Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said, adding that they wanted to resist the last election through burning people to death in petrol-bomb attacks.

He observed that Khaleda should apologise for burning people and observing the fake birthday before giving any prescription before the nation. “Tarique Rahman should also render apology for siphoning off money from the country,” he said.