BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas on Sunday said a group is trying to delay the national election and harm the country by making unreasonable demands like introducing a proportional representation system and holding local polls first.

“Some people are trying to delay the elections, ruin the electoral process and destroy the nation by making different demands,” he said at a programme organised by the Dhaka South City Unit BNP.

Abbas, a BNP Standing Committee Member, urged politicians to be united and take steps for the good of the country.

“Only your words will do. First, the local government elections will be held. Then the PR system will be used for voting. Why, brother, where did you invent these things? Who gives you this ill advice? A group of people have come to the field now to destroy this country and the nation with all this bad advice. They will not let the nation move forward,” he said.

The programme was held at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh to launch the Ramna unit of Dhaka South City BNP’s new membership form distribution and membership renewal campaign.

Referring to Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), Abbas said a political party—that applauded Sheikh Hasina from afar and indirectly supported her when she was oppressing BNP and Jamaat and did not protest against three rigged and flawed elections—is now making tall claims that local government elections should be held first, and that there will be no polls if there is no PR system.

“Today, I appeal to leaders at all levels of the nation who love the country to come to one point from which it will be possible to ensure the welfare of the country and its people. Don't send the wrong message to the people by holding big rallies,” he said.

If a rally can prove a party’s popularity, Abbas said, then BNP can bring the whole of Bangladesh under the umbrella of rallies in one day. “We can hold rallies across Bangladesh in a single day.”

“So, I would like to request everyone not to say all this foul talk (PR system and local govt polls), I am sorry to say it like that… Don’t mislead the people of the country by saying things like ‘if there is no PR system or local government elections, polls will not be held’,” he said,” he said, 

The BNP leader said their party does not want to enter into any confrontation with other political parties. “We fought on the streets for 17 years. We don’t want to fight on the streets anymore. We don’t want to fight with our brothers, our friends, or the people of the country.”