You can boycott polls, but why burn people? asks PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says a political party is free to decide about its participation in elections but has no right to burn people to death, denouncing the deadly arson attack on a train in Dhaka amid hartals and shutdowns by the BNP and other opposition parties.

The prime minister made the remarks at a media briefing during her visit to the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal in Sylhet to launch her election campaign for the 12th national parliamentary polls on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com.

People want an election, not hartals and shutdowns, Hasina said.

"Those who don't want to contest the polls can choose to boycott them. But using fire to kill people. Using fire to destroy state property - the property of the people. They destroy new carriages, damage rail lines to cause accidents and kill people. These are acts of terrorism, of militancy. And the BNP-Jamaat alliance is conducting these acts of terrorism."

The BNP and its allies have staged a series of transport blockades and shutdowns across the country since Oct 28, when their rally in Dhaka devolved into clashes with law enforcers. They have continued to press for the resignation of the government and the institution of an impartial election-time government to oversee polls.

Acts of violence, arson, and vandalism have been reported nearly every day amid these nationwide protests.

“The BNP-Jamaat alliance did the similar thing in 2014," Hasina said. "They called hartals or shutdown this year too, but haven’t received a response from the people.”

She condemned the killing of four people, including a mother and her child, in a recent arson attack on the Mohanganj Express.

Hasina called on the people to cast their votes for the Awami League to ensure their well-being and promised to build a developed and prosperous Bangladesh.