The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party alleged on Monday that the people of Bangladesh lost ‘democracy’ and ‘right to vote’ due to India’s undue interference in determining the future and political course of Bangladesh.

‘Two days ago, I saw in the newspaper that the foreign minister of the dummy government, Hasan Mahmud, had a meeting with the foreign minister of India in Uganda. India’s foreign minister said that India’s relationship with Bangladesh has deepened. The words of the Indian foreign minister are partly true. The relationship has deepened. But it is not with the people of Bangladesh but with the Awami League,’ BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said at a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan central office.

‘In deepening India’s relationship with the Awami League and India’s unwarranted interference in determining the future and political course of Bangladesh, the people of Bangladesh have lost their democracy, freedom of speech, and right to vote,’ he said.

Saying that the people rejected the January 7 election, Rizvi said that a lot of persuasion and a dictatorial image could not get voters to the polls.

‘Because the people had already realized that the names of the pre-determined persons would be announced as lawmakers in the evening by showing the gathering of people at the polling stations. It was proved literally on the polling day,’ he said.

‘They [the government] have spoiled the election. Thousands of BNP leaders and activists have been arrested for the last three to four months to complete this fraudulent election. Brutal torture has been carried out on opposition people. Many died in prison due to physical torture and many activists were crippled,’ he alleged.

Rizvi said that torture in custody and remand had broken the record of all tyrants in the world.

‘Someone’s arms and legs have been broken, someone’s fingernails and toenails have been removed and someone’s eyes have been damaged by the shotgun firings by the police,’ Rizvi said.

He also said that many people are not released from prison even after securing bail from the courts.

‘Many people are being arrested from jail gates in newer cases immediately after coming out of the jail gate with bail papers. Awami police administration is playing with the lives of the leaders and activists of pro-democracy parties, including BNP,’ he said.

He said that prime minister Sheikh Hasina had developed law enforcement agencies as a tool against the BNP.