<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday alleged that the current Election Commission (EC) is working as a "puppet of the government" to hold a lopsided election in the country.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a virtual press briefing, he maintained however that the country’s people have united to resist the one-sided election and oust the current Awami League government.</div><div><br></div><div>"The spineless and puppet Election Commission is vigorously trying to implement the Awami election schedule,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that the ruling party leaders and workers along with pro-Awami League members of police, RAB and detectives have swapped like hyenas on those who have been carrying out the movement across the country for restoration of people’s voting rights.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader alleged that opposition leaders and activists are being harassed and tortured to foil the ongoing movement which has spread across the country like sparks braving all obstacles, to end the dangerous deadlock in politics and to realise the demand for the resignation of the Awami League government followed by holding the next election under a non-party neutral government.</div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladeshis are hearing the footsteps of the inevitable mass uprising. Amid the countdown to the fall of an autocratic oppressor, evil efforts are on to conduct another one-sided and stage-managed election,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said law enforcers continue raiding the houses of BNP leaders and workers all over the country, besides attacking their houses and business institutions to spread panic.</div><div><br></div><div>He said an intimidating situation has been created with the wholesale arrest of the opposition leaders and workers and by issuing various threats.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said Awami League has a track record of indulging in deadly terror acts like killing people by beating them with sticks and oars and sprinkling gunpowder on vehicles.</div><div><br></div><div>“Awami League has been campaigning outside the country blaming BNP for subversive activities. But they’re unable this time to do their marketing abroad involving BNP with terrorism. The entire world has understood that the smear campaign of terrorism against the BNP is basically a strategy for a one-sided election,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader claimed that more than 510 leaders and activists of BNP and its different associate bodies have been arrested in the previous 24 hours as of 5pm Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>He thanked the country’s people and the leaders and workers of the BNP and like-minded parties and alliances for making the first day of their 48-hour hartal a success.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi slammed Prime Minister’s ICT adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy for his comment that there will be no party named BNP and Jamaat in the country within the next 10-15 years, saying the people of the country were stunned and shocked by hearing his arrogance, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the Awami League government could not succeed in its evil efforts to split the BNP by spending hundreds of crores of taka through various agencies and spreading false propaganda against the leaders and workers of the party.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi also said BNP will remain as a political party as long as the red-green flag of Bangladesh remains.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>