BNP leader Zainul Abedin Farooq claimed that violence erupted shortly after the Chief Election Commissioner announced preparations for elections to be held by December.
He alleged that a broader conspiracy is underway to destabilize the country. Citing unnamed sources, Farooq mentioned: “Some have said the BNP no longer needs the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol, and that if 'Shapla' is invalid, so should the Sheaf of Paddy. Others claimed the 1971 war did not secure complete independence or proposed a proportional representation system in the upper house. There are even demands to delay elections until a revolution is declared and all unresolved cases of the last 18 years are addressed.”