Dhaka: Jatiya Oikyafront chief Dr Kamal Hossain on Saturday said their alliance will in no way boycott the election and urged people to get ready to guard the polling stations.

‘We had to suffer a lot by boycotting the election once. We won’t boycott the polls further. We (people) must cast our votes by going to thousands of polling stations, no matter what tricks they (ruling party) resort to,’ he said, reports the UNB.

Speaking at a grand rally of lawyers, he also called upon Oikyafront leaders and activists to visit every house and make people understand to cast their votes. ‘The country’s all voters will have to guard the polling stations during the election.’

Dr Kamal said the country’s people were freed from the chain of subordination through the Liberation War. ‘We can’t allow the country to become subdued again. People must believe they’re all the sources of power and real owners of the country.’

Jatiya Ainjibi Oikyafront arranged the programme on the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) premises with its president Advocate Zainul Abedin in the chair.

Dr Kamal accused the current government of interfering in the judiciary. ‘It’s now become impossible for the lower judiciary to function independently.’

He said people are the owners of the country and they will determine who will rule the country through the vote. ‘But Awami League came to power in 2014 by depraving people of their rights.’

The Oikyafront chief said though the government had promised to hold another election after the January-5 one in 2014, it did not keep its commitment. ‘They’ve deceived people by not giving the election.’

He also observed that the current government should have given a medal for deception.

Kamal, also the president of Gono Forum, demanded the government release BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail. ‘When an election is going to be held after a long time, the chief of a major party has been kept in an abandoned jail. She must be freed.’

He said it cannot be acceptable that leader of a major party will join the polls as the Prime Minister while another party’s chief will remain in jail.

Besides, Dr Kamal said an inequality has been created as thousands of BNP leaders and activists are still in jail. ‘It won’t help restore democracy.’

He said though the Prime Minister during her talks with the Oikyafront leaders promised to stop the arrest of opposition leaders and activists, law enforcers are still arresting them.

Kamal also opposed the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the election.