The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Saturday demanded a level-playing field alleging that the opposition-backed candidates were being barred from electioneering in contrast to ruling party-backed candidates in the elections to the three city corporations in Dhaka and Chittagong scheduled for April 28.
At a press conference, held at the party central office in Naya Paltan after a gap of 102 days, BNP international affairs secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon said that voters would not turn out for casting vote if such atmosphere continued.
‘Our candidates cannot step out for electioneering. They are being barred from electioneering in contrast to ruling party-backed candidates,’ said Ripon, who has been given the charge of office secretary as the regular office secretary, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, is in jail.
‘We demand bail for Mirza Abbas [BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka South City Corporation] and for councillor candidates so that they can go to voters and carry out regular electioneering,’ he said.
Ripon said that the charges brought against Abbas are bailable and he should be granted bail.
BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, also the city BNP convener, is now facing at least 37 cases.
‘The cases were filed out of political vengeance,’ Ripon said.
He said that criminals were being released during the polls time. ‘The government is not taking responsibility to curb violence and crimes, but it is harassing BNP leaders and activists,’ he said.
‘Let us start afresh…We want to advance the democracy and expect the government to give up ill motives centring the city polls first,’ he said.
Ripon also demanded release of BNP leaders including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Shomsher Mobin Chowdhury and Mohammad Shahjahan.
He said that the government could start ‘blowing the gentle breeze’ in politics releasing the top BNP leaders first.
BNP leaders Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Sanaullah Miah, Masud Ahmed Talukder, Kazi Asad, Abdus Salam Azad and Aminul Islam, among others, were present.
BNP lastly held a press conference at the central office on December 29, 2014. The police locked the office on January 3 after picking up Rizvi. It was reopened on April 4.
At a press conference, held at the party central office in Naya Paltan after a gap of 102 days, BNP international affairs secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon said that voters would not turn out for casting vote if such atmosphere continued.
‘Our candidates cannot step out for electioneering. They are being barred from electioneering in contrast to ruling party-backed candidates,’ said Ripon, who has been given the charge of office secretary as the regular office secretary, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, is in jail.
‘We demand bail for Mirza Abbas [BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka South City Corporation] and for councillor candidates so that they can go to voters and carry out regular electioneering,’ he said.
Ripon said that the charges brought against Abbas are bailable and he should be granted bail.
BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, also the city BNP convener, is now facing at least 37 cases.
‘The cases were filed out of political vengeance,’ Ripon said.
He said that criminals were being released during the polls time. ‘The government is not taking responsibility to curb violence and crimes, but it is harassing BNP leaders and activists,’ he said.
‘Let us start afresh…We want to advance the democracy and expect the government to give up ill motives centring the city polls first,’ he said.
Ripon also demanded release of BNP leaders including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Shomsher Mobin Chowdhury and Mohammad Shahjahan.
He said that the government could start ‘blowing the gentle breeze’ in politics releasing the top BNP leaders first.
BNP leaders Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Sanaullah Miah, Masud Ahmed Talukder, Kazi Asad, Abdus Salam Azad and Aminul Islam, among others, were present.
BNP lastly held a press conference at the central office on December 29, 2014. The police locked the office on January 3 after picking up Rizvi. It was reopened on April 4.
Source: New Age
