Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday once again accused certain groups of attempting to disrupt the upcoming elections.

The BNP had fought for 15 years to restore democracy and return the state power to the people, he reminded.

Fakhrul reiterated the BNP’s position for an elected Jatiya Sangsad formed through a free and fair election at an event in Gazipur marking the ninth death anniversary of former party standing committee member ASM Hannan Shah.

He introduced Hannan’s son and Gazipur district unit BNP joint convener Reazul Hannan as the party’s candidate for the Gazipur-4 constituency in the upcoming polls, urging the party activists to back him.

‘Some people are trying to obstruct the elections. We have struggled for 15 years only to bring back democracy. The people are the owners of this country — and power must be returned to them,’ Fakhrul said.

He urged the interim government to maintain full impartiality and cautioned against any partisan behaviour by its advisers, saying that the administration must remain completely impartial.

Fakhrul said that there had been complaints about some advisers of acting in favour of particular parties, and that such behaviour should not continue, as the people of Bangladesh wanted neutrality and fair elections.

Turning to India, the BNP secretary general alleged that the neighbouring country had repeatedly acted against Bangladesh’s interests, citing examples of border killings, water-sharing disputes, and interferences in previous elections.

‘India has never given us our fair shares of the waters of the Teesta, Farakka (the Ganges), or any other river. Our citizens are being shot dead along the border — something unheard of elsewhere. They interfered in our past elections,’ he alleged.

Fakhrul said that the BNP sought friendship with the neighbouring countries, but it should be based on equality and free from interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs.

During the event, Fakhrul paid tributes to the late Hannan Shah, describing him as a soldier, politician, patriot, and national leader.