BNP on Saturday alleged that its Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been put in jail as part of an ‘evil design’ of the government to hold another lopsided election to hang on to power.

‘The government wants to hold another one-sided election as it did in 2014. That’s why they sent Khaleda Zia to jail as part of their blueprint,’ said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, reports the UNB.

Speaking at a rally, he further said, ‘The government won’t be able to implement its blueprint. We’ll surely restore people’s democratic and voting rights by freeing our leader (Khaleda) from jail.

Khulna district and city units BNP jointly arranged the rally in front of the party’s city office demanding Khaleda’s immediate release from jail.

The party sought permission to hold the rally at Hadis Park, but police allowed it to stage it in front of the party office.

BNP standing committee members Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, vice chairmen Barkatullah Bulu, Netail Roy Chowdhury and central leaders of the party and the 20-party alliance addressed the programme presided over by Khulna city unit BNP Nazrul Islam Monju.

BNP has a plan to hold rallies in all divisional cities gradually to have their chairperson released from jail. It was the first divisional rally of the party.

The party is also scheduled to hold rallies at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan on March 12, Chittagong on March 31 and Rajshahi on March 31.

Fakhrul said they have been carrying out peaceful programmes since their chairperson was sent to jail on February 8 without responding to various provocations by the government and law enforcers.

He said the law enforcers attacking their peaceful programmes and arresting their leaders and raiding their houses to spread panic.