Jatiya Nagarik Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam on Tuesday said those campaigning for a 'No' vote in the upcoming referendum would not be able to win the next parliamentary election, asserting that a defeat of the 'Yes' vote would mean the failure of the July Uprising.
"If 'No' wins, the old system will remain. The mass uprising will completely fail. Even good people in power will not be able to change the country under the old system," he said.
He made the remarks while inaugurating the party's "Vote Vehicle" campaign in favour of the 'Yes' vote at Banglamotor in front of the NCP central office in the capital.
Nahid said all political parties had a responsibility to campaign for the 'Yes' vote but alleged that a particular party had started covert campaigning for a 'No' vote.
Warning political parties ahead of the election, Nahid Islam said, "Do not make this mistake. If you go for the 'No' vote, you will go against the people. I firmly believe you will not be able to win the election. To win the election, you must stand in favour of the 'Yes' vote and reforms."
Nahid added that cheap publicity would no longer work, recalling that after the 2008 election, a party came to power promising rice at Tk 10 but later devastated the country. "People have been deprived of voting for 16 years. This time votes cannot be bought," he said.
Calling on citizens to vote 'Yes' irrespective of party affiliation, Nahid Islam said, "Even if you do not like us, do not vote for us, at least vote for 'Yes'. This is everyone's responsibility."
He said a victory for the 'Yes' vote would advance the reform process, ensure implementation of the July Charter and bring changes to the fascist autocratic system.
Participating in the upcoming election in alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami, Nahid said the next vote was not only about forming a government but about taking Bangladesh 50 years forward.
Expressing hope of forming the next government, he said, "We want to move towards a new democratic system. We want to establish a new political settlement. The 11-party alliance will establish this new system by winning the election."
It was announced at the event that the NCP's "Vote Vehicle" will campaign across the country in favour of the 'Yes' vote until the election.
Speaking at the programme, NCP Spokesperson and Chairman of the party's Election Management Committee Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said the main objective of the campaign was to raise public awareness about the referendum.
He alleged that the ousted Awami League had already started campaigning for the 'No' vote to sabotage the July reforms, while some anti-fascist political forces were also taking similar positions at the grassroots level.
"In this context, NCP has undertaken a nationwide campaign to ensure victory for the 'Yes' vote in the referendum," he added.
NSA
