Acting Chairman of BNP Tarique Rahman said that a 'dummy candidate' has openly declared himself as India's candidate in the 'dummy election'. Such a blatant admission has once again proven that this 'dummy government' does not even have the power to take independent decisions.

Wishing the countrymen a happy Christian New Year, Tarique Rahman called for boycotting the vote, in a video message on Monday.

In that video message given from London, he said Bangladesh has completed 53 years, yet the greetings for the new year are not very joyful for the freedom-loving people of the country. This is because the people of independent Bangladesh are now oppressed in their own country. The illegal government of Bangladesh by the fascist Hasina has turned the country into a puppet state under a totalitarian regime. The pride of independence, earned at the cost of countless lives, is now overshadowed, and the Dummy Government of the notorious vote robber Hasina has infiltrated the state power without a vote, making decisions as if she owns the country. The decisions on whom to arrest, whom to beat, whom to keep, whom to throw across the border—all these decisions now come from another country. Just a few days ago, we all heard and witnessed that in the ongoing "Dummy Election," a "Dummy Candidate" openly declared himself as a candidate from India. Through such shameless admissions, it is once again proven that even in this "Dummy Government," there is no authority to make independent decisions.

Criticising the Awami League’s policy of appeasing India, he said, ''you may recall that the 'Dummy Foreign Minister' of the 'Dummy Government' had appealed to India for alms to remain in power without elections. Therefore, there is no opportunity to see the unambiguous acceptance of this statement by the new Awami League activists. Rather, there is no longer any shame left in the statements of the Awami leaders regarding subservience and helplessness. The statements of the Awami League regarding the subjugation of the country are now part of the continuous deceit and betrayal against the independence and dignity of the country. The freedom-loving democratic people of the country have lost faith in the continuous lies of the ruling duo, the traitor Hasina and Momen, who are part of the systematic deception against the nation.''

He added, elections in the country used to be a political celebration for the people, but the illegitimate power-hungry Hasina has turned the electoral process into a 'Vote Robbery Festival.' Democracy, human rights, and the right to vote have been violated as the fascist Hasina has transformed the country into a mafia state. The Election Commission and the judiciary, every constitutional institution, is now under the control of the mafia. Ministers of the illegitimate government, involved in election malpractices once again, have submitted affidavits to the Election Commission, indicating an abnormal increase in wealth for the 10 ministers who participated in the vote robbery festival. The list includes the name of corrupt Hasina. The question arises, is there any effective institution in the country to investigate such matters?

Fascist Hasina has lagged behind in politics, economics, social values, education, health, and agriculture in all aspects. In the last 15 years, she has left the country behind in every way. The understanding of foreign loans in the country has already surpassed 100 billion dollars. Instead of ensuring the security of the poor and lower-middle-class people, the country has been burdened with foreign debts in the name of development, deteriorating the situation. The once self-reliant and productive country has now become dependent on imports. The smoke of development has obscured democracy and the right to vote for the people.

Speaking of the skyrocketing of the commodity price, he said, agriculture is the main driving force of the economy in Bangladesh. Nearly half of the country's workforce is directly or indirectly related to agriculture. Approximately two crore families in the country depend on agriculture. However, in the last 15 years, has there been any desired development in agriculture and for the farmers in the country? Has there been any expected modernization in agricultural technology? I would like to appeal to millions of farmers to consider whether you are getting fair prices for your produced goods. In the beginning of the current season, you were forced to sell your self-produced potatoes for 10 to 12 taka per kilogram. However, within a few months, why are you now forced to buy potatoes for 60-70 taka per kilogram? For the past 15 years, various tales of development have been heard, yet there has been no proper conservation of your produced goods. Essential food items produced in the country, such as potatoes, green chilies, onions, why are they being imported from abroad? Then what is the development for? Whose development is it?

Regarding the rampant corruption in the health, employment and the education sector, Tarique Rahman said, currently, the farmers, laborers, distressed local communities, and people with low income, including many middle-class families, are facing challenging times in our country. According to a recent report from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, nearly this many people in the country are currently burdened with debt just to manage their households. In this crisis situation, the garment factory workers have recently taken to the streets demanding fair wages, but some members of a mafia government have ruthlessly shot and killed several garment workers. Cases have been filed against thousands of workers, and over a hundred leaders have been put behind bars. Due to the oppressive rule of Sheikh Hasina and illegal abuse of power, the export-oriented garment industry is gradually losing its grip in the international market, raising concerns about Bangladesh's economic future. So, what progress has been made in the last 15 years? Who has really benefited from this progress?

The garment industry has been a significant foreign employment sector, and until now, it has been the largest contributor to the country's export earnings. Both of these fields owe their success largely to the visionary leadership of Ziaur Rahman. However, because of her hijacking the state's power for the past 15 years, the garment industry and foreign employment, these two areas aside, Sheikh Hasina's fascist government has not been able to create any major revenue-generating sectors. So, what progress has this fascist government made? In a country where 47 percent of the educated population is unemployed, the educated unemployed are unable to find jobs in sectors like garments, pharmaceuticals, or others, even after receiving training. Yet, it is observed that in addition to the garment sector, two other sectors, involving legal and illegal foreign workers, send approximately 20 billion dollars out of Bangladesh every year.

He said, I believe that without developing human resources, technological progress in the country is not possible. However, the greed for illicit power of fascist Hasina has destroyed all hopes and possibilities for the youth in the country. By establishing a police state, the country has become unsafe. Thousands of young people are now sacrificing themselves in any way possible to leave the country. In an attempt to leave the country, hundreds of young people are meeting a watery grave in the Bay of Bengal. If true development had occurred in the country, there would have been no need for the youth to sacrifice for the nation. The question is, what has been done for the unemployed youth in the last 15 years?

Even in the healthcare sector, corruption is rampant. Sixty percent of the population still lacks basic healthcare facilities. Going abroad for treatment, nearly 35 billion dollars are leaving the country every year. So, what progress has been made in healthcare in the last 15 years? Whose development has taken place? Only the development of corrupt Hasina, her family, and the Awami League looters' cycle. This looters' cycle has smuggled over 11 billion dollars out of the country in the last decade, primarily through corruption in the banking sector. Due to Hasina's corrupt practices, the safest means of making money has been through money laundering.

In the last 15 years, the education system of the country has been systematically destroyed. The fascist Hasina has manipulated elections to create Members of Parliament and, in the same way, has pushed students and teachers to lag behind in a generation by implementing a premeditated education system. Now, again, in the name of a new national education curriculum, a repressive education system is being imposed on students, teachers, and parents without consulting anyone. In higher education, the situation is even worse. Various times, rankings of the best institutions in the world have been published. However, the names of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) or Dhaka University, the top educational institutions in Bangladesh, cannot be found on these lists. The people want to know, are these universities only used by Awami League supporters as concentration camps to kill patriotic individuals? If it's a mafia government, then whose development is it promoting?

During Sheikh Hasina's rule, there has been no justice for the atrocities and anarchies. Currently, the highest level of injustice prevails in the judiciary. The fascist Hasina has turned the judiciary into a puppet in the hands of her regime. She shamelessly used the judiciary to eliminate any opposition and violate the people's voting rights.

To cover up Hasina's illegal power grabs and misdeeds, a 24-hour "Dummy Court" is in operation. Especially, it targets BNP activists, imposing punitive measures in a competition to hand out sentences. Despite continuous 24-hour court proceedings, why is there no trial for the murders of Sagar-Runi? Why isn't there a trial for the looting of Bangladesh Bank's foreign reserves? Is Hasina involved in these incidents?

Due to the absence of justice and good governance, vote banditry has become a common occurrence over the past 15 years. As the upcoming elections on January 7 approach, a festival of vote robbery is being organized. The Election Commission, using the pretext of the "Dummy Election Commission," has already prepared a list of vote robbers, to be announced on January 7.

Those who want to be part of Hasina's vote robbery are threatening and intimidating the helpless recipients of national benefits. I want to make it clear that it is a crime to force people who receive national benefits to go to the voting centers using the threat of losing those benefits. Your right to vote is a democratic right, and no one should force you to go or not go to the voting center.

Fearful of losing power without a vote, Hasina, the oppressor and manipulator, has created a crisis in the country. It's not just a crisis for the BNP; it's a crisis for every democratic person in the country. The 2014 and 2018 elections were similar, and once again, as the elections approach, the announcement of the "Dummy Election" on January 7 has been met with strong opposition.

To stop the festival of vote robbery and to reinstate the right to vote for the twelve crore voters in the country, everyone needs to actively participate in the ongoing movement. If the right to vote for the twelve crore voters is not restored, we will never be able to establish a accountable government in the eyes of the people.

As part of the opposition to the fascist Hasina and her mafia government, a campaign has been announced by the opposition parties, including the BNP, against cooperating with the anti-democratic government. Until the voting rights of the twelve crore voters who were robbed of their rights are reinstated, this movement will continue unabated.

He urged the countrymen, for those with the courage and capability, please participate directly in every political program of the ongoing movement. For those who, due to various limitations, are unable to directly participate in the daily programs, I encourage you to boycott the elections on January 7. Motivate others to boycott as well. Let it be your protest. This is how each of us will be able to save the country and the people from the shackles of the Awami League and fascist Hasina. Insha'Allah.