DHAKA: As political tensions intensify in Bangladesh ahead of next year's election, the National Citizens Party (NCP) warned that it is prepared for either a "ballot revolution" or a "bullet revolution" in the country, local media reported.
Addressing a discussion at the party headquarters in Dhaka, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary made the remarks amid escalating political conflict in the country.
"If Bangladesh continues on the democratic path, NCP is ready for a ballot revolution. But if blood must be shed, we are ready for a bullet revolution too," Bangladesh's leading newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted the NCP leader as saying.
Patwary threatened the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), saying, "If BNP stands against reform, its fate will be no different from Sheikh Hasina's."
He also accused leftist groups of betraying the working class, alleging that they have used the red flag merely as a "political façade".
"The leftist parties have acted as the BNP's vote bank in the so-called Consensus Commission. They have sold their ideals for a few seats," he stated.
Taking an indirect dig at radical Islamist Party Jamaat-e-Islami, Patwary said, "We do not believe in politics that exploit religion for votes -- like adding a few words to the constitution or visiting madras's for photo ops." (IANS)
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