Bangladesh Youth Forum holds a meeting at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday over the reported negligence in BNP leader Khaleda Zia’s treatment on the part of jail authorities. — New Age photo
Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s standing committee member Moudud Ahmed on Saturday said the party’s final decision over participating in Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal city elections would depend on Gazipur city poll scheduled to be held on June 26.
‘Our final decision whether we would participate in or not in Barisal, Sylhet and Rajshahi city elections will depend on Gazipur city poll,’ Moudud said while addressing a discussion at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
He said the Gazipur city election would be an ‘acid test’ for the government and the Election Commission. ‘We will see what they do,’ he added.
The senior politician warned that consequences would be ‘horrible’ if ‘Khulna (city mayoral election) style’ election was held in Gazipur.
Time has come to build up new resistance, he said asking the party leaders and activists to stand against injustice, repression, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arrest and cases filed on baseless accusations.
Enough strength would have to gain and get united to resist these, Moudud said.
Khulna mayoral poll was held on May 15 amid allegations of widespread vote rigging where ruling Awami League-nominated candidate Chowdhury Abdul Khaleque won defeating BNP candidate Nazrul Islam Manju. BNP rejected the result.
BNP already took interview of 16 aspirants for mayoral candidates for elections to the Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet cities scheduled for July 30.
Questioning the role of police, Moudud said a portion of the police force was acting as a front organisation of Awami League.
Bangladesh Youth Forum orgainsed the discussion demanding BNP’s jailed chairperson Khaleda Zia’s proper treatment and immediate release.
Source: New Age.