Hasina gets new allies

Dhaka, Dec 18 (UNI) In a major political development, two former Presidents of Bangladesh Hussain Muhammad Ershad of Jatiya Party (JP) and Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) today joined hands with former Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina.

Sheikh Hasina, who is also the leader of the 14-party alliance, announced a nationwide general strike on December 21 to press for her demands of removing controversial election commissioners SM Zakaria and Syed Mudabbir Hossain Chowdhury for being ''politically biased'' towards ex-Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Addressing a huge public rally at Paltan Maidan here, the leader also demanded that President Iajuddin Ahmed should quit the office of the Chief Advisor of the present interim caretaker government on the ground that he was a Khaleda Zia ''loyalist''and hence future elections under him would not be free and fair.

The Awami League chief insisted that the present election schedule must be declared after preparing a flawless electoral roll.

Although she did not precisely rejected the polls now scheduled on Jan 22, but announced the general strike on December 21, the last date for filing nomination papers for the elections.

''We will not allow unilateral elections,'' the BNP leader told the rally. She said the caretaker government and Election Commission must create congenial atmosphere in the next 24 hours by taking effective steps.

The Election Commission has advanced the polling date and refixed on January 22 instead of January 23 because of ''Swarasati Puja'' of the Hindu Community.

Political obsrevers say former President Ershad's joining with Sheikh Hasina is important ahead of the elections as earlier he had decided, in principle, to join the BNP-led four-party alliance of Khaleda Zia.

Mr Ershad, who has got stronghold in northern districts of Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha, had 14 members in the last Parliament. He might be a critical factor in the coming election if it is held on schedule.

Addressing the rally, Mr Ershad a former martial few ruler alleged that he was facing political victimisation by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia for not joining her four-party alliance.

Recently, the High Court awarded him jailed Mr Ershad for two years in imprisonment in the Japanese boat purchas scam case. He believed that the court was influenced by the former Prime Minister to give this judgement.

Although Hasina and her alliance is insisting on deferring the poll schedule, her arch rival Khaleda Zia and her 4-party alliance that includes fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami has been demanding the elections on schedule in accordance with the Bangladesh Constitution. As per the Constitution, general elections must be held within 90 days, since the last Parliament dissolved on Oct 27 last.

Khaleda Zia will also hold a grand rally at Paltan Maidan tomorrow, and is expected to ask the Election Commission to move ahead with the current election schedule for holding the parliamentary polls.

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