There is no alternative to early elections to establish the country and the rights of the people, said BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at the district BNP conference at Chuadanga Town Football Ground on Saturday (November 23) afternoon.

At this time, Tarique Rahman said, all political parties are supporting this interim government. Elections are necessary to return power to the people of the country.

He said we had proposed 31 points of reforms two years ago for the development of the country. Reforms are an ongoing process. One will start, another will drag it out. Only if the interim government can organize fair and free elections, the people will be able to exercise their right to vote to elect their representatives.

Regarding the elections, he said, many people are wondering why we are repeatedly talking about elections. We believe that the interim government will be able to organize an election. As a result, the people's representatives who will be elected to the parliament will be able to decide through discussions in the parliament how to solve the problems of each sector of the country. All reforms can be implemented through a real and genuine election.

Addressing the leaders and workers, he said, "To take responsibility, you have to play a responsible role. To play a responsible role, you have to fulfill the expectations of the people around you. If you can fulfill these expectations, only then will people give you responsibility, otherwise they will think twice." Earlier, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir inaugurated the conference at 10:30 am on Saturday. BNP Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu, BNP Central Committee Vice Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury, BNP Khulna Division Acting Organizing Secretary Anindya Islam Amit, BNP Khulna Division Joint Organizing Secretary Jayanta Kumar Kundu, Chuadanga District BNP Member Secretary Md. Sharifuzzaman Sharif, BNP National Executive Committee Information Secretary Azizul Bari Helal, among others, delivered speeches at the conference presided over by Chuadanga District BNP Convener Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu.

Commenting that India has no reason not to give us river water, interim government finance adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed said that India must be pressurized to get our fair share of river water.

He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled ‘Joint upstream river water withdrawal: Economic disaster in Bangladesh’ organized by the International Farakka Committee, Bangladesh at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club on Saturday (November 23).

The finance adviser said that when there is water pressure in India, they open the gates of the barrage. Again, when they have less water, they close the gates. They are doing this at will that is why we are not getting water. Due to this, we are facing problems in our cultivation. The northern region is becoming a desert day by day.

He said that the Danube River is one of the main transportation routes of the European continent. The river originates in Germany and ends in the Netherlands. There may be political problems between them, but there is a policy of sharing river water.

At this time, he said, the work that the interim government is doing is very challenging. It needs the support of the people. We will work so that not only of Ganges, but also 54 other rivers that are similar in terms of water get their fair share of water.

The seminar, chaired by the coordinator of the International Farakka Committee, Mustafa Kamal Majumdar, was also attended by Syed Tipu Sultan, Chairman of the International Farakka Committee in New York, Professor Jasim Uddin Ahmad, President of the International Farakka Committee Bangladesh, and Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu, Convener of the Bhashani Anusari Parishad, among others.

Election Reform Commission chief Badiul Alam Majumdar said several recommendations have been made, including direct election of the President, no candidate being elected unopposed, and return of no votes.

He said this after a meeting with senior journalists and editors of electronic media with the Electoral System Reform Commission at the Agargaon election building in the capital on Saturday (November 23) morning.

Badiul Alam Majumdar said that there has been a discussion about the direct election of the President. Some said that all elections are direct. Local government elections are supposed to be non-partisan, not parliamentary type.

He said that there has been talk of appointing the Election Commission on the basis of political consensus. The use of technology has come. The Reforms Commission is also thinking about this, especially with regard to expatriate voting. He also said that he will be elected if he gets the percentage of votes. Asked to bring back the No vote. It was also discussed that no one should be elected unopposed.

In the meeting, another member of the commission, Dr. Tofail Ahmed, said that the local government election should not be held before the national election. He also said that if the local elections go without completing the reforms, the reforms will be suspended.

At this time, the editors and senior journalists gave their opinion on the media experience, challenges and election commission reforms in the last 3 parliamentary elections and local government elections.

Dr. Tofail Ahmed, one of the members of the Electoral Reform Commission, believes that local government elections should be held before the national elections. However, he also said that if the commission's electoral roadmap for reforms is not completed before then, the reforms will be delayed.

Professor Tofail Ahmed said these things during a discussion with media personnel at the Election Building in Agargaon in the capital on Saturday (November 23).

He said that the country does not have a local government system. There is only a collection of a few institutions. The job of this commission will be to establish a local government system. He further said that bringing it to a parliamentary system is also being considered to reduce the cost of elections. But that must be done by implementing local government reforms.

Local government expert Tofail Ahmed said that Tk. 23 thousand crore was spent in the past local government elections. If the local government elections are held through the parliamentary system, it will cost Tk. 600 crore and will take less time.

Local elections should be organized like parliamentary elections, where the chairman will not be directly elected. Only councilors and members will be elected there. They will elect the chairman, he said.