BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said the party wants to transform the grief over the death of former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia into constructive strength for nation-building, rather than using it for narrow political or electoral purposes.
“We genuinely want to turn the grief over Begum Khaleda Zia into strength. We do not have the narrow mindset to use this grief for partisan interests or election campaigning. We want to utilise this strength of grief in rebuilding the nation,” Salahuddin told reporters on Thursday (January 1) after paying respects at Khaleda Zia’s grave.
He said that Khaleda Zia’s nomination in the upcoming election would naturally stand cancelled due to her absence, and that the party would select a suitable candidate from among alternative contenders following a final screening process.
Responding to a question on whether there was any legal scope to postpone the election, Salahuddin said there was no such provision under the law.
“There is no legal opportunity to delay the election. If this had occurred after the completion of candidate selection and symbol allocation, the election could have been postponed due to legal complications. That situation does not exist now,” he said.
Speaking about BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, the senior BNP leader said Tarique Rahman is a political figure who must remain mentally strong.
“No matter how deep the grief, he has to stay strong in the interest of the nation. There is no alternative to that,” Salahuddin said.
He also said that at this moment there is no scheduled programme for the BNP acting chairman.
