Dhaka: Mentioning that now Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s main challenge is to take its movement to its desired goal, party senior leader Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman on Thursday said they will continue their agitation although its leaders contest the Dhaka and Chittagong city polls.  

A free, fair and neutral election is a prime element of democracy… BNP’s main challenge is to take the movement to a desired goal by forging a national unity for strengthening democracy through holding a free and fair election,’ he said.

Mahbub, also a BNP standing committee member, came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after paying tributes at party founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave marking the Independence Day.

About his party’s stance on the city polls, the BNP leader said, ‘BNP is a party that believes in elections…BNP will certainly join the polls if a level-playing field is created for all the candidates in Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations election race.’

He said the arrested party leaders and activists will have to be released and an atmosphere must be created so that the absconding opposition men work freely for ensuring their party’s participation in the polls. ‘We think movement and election is supplementary to each other. So, the movement will continue alongside the polls.’

Though the party is yet come up with any formal decision about taking part in the elections to the three major city corporations slated for 28 April, BNP leaders on Wednesday collected nomination papers to contest those.  

Mahbub said though city polls are local government ones, BNP is considering the elections with due importance.

He, however, said a national elected is necessary to be arranged at present in the country instead of local government ones to resolve the ongoing political crisis.