Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has brushed off a Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) report that claimed the recent city elections were not fair.
He claimed the report was ‘biased’ and the TIB only highlighted negatives sides.
The NGO made public its observations on the Apr 28 polls on Monday raising allegations of rigging and ‘weak’ leadership by the Election Commission.
“Several organisations including the TIB did nothing but presented negative reports,” Ahmed said after the TIB report was released.
“How come the BNP, Jamaat-endorsed candidates won councillor posts if the polls were not fair?” the senior Awami League leader asked.
The BNP boycotted the polls midway raising allegations of widespread rigging but Ahmed claimed the party had made that decision even before the polls.
Ahmed said eight people were killed in violence in West Bengal’s local polls last month but no-one was killed during the Apr 28 polls.
“The TIB does not see this,” he said, taking a dig at the Berlin-based organisation’s Dhaka chapter.
Ahmed criticised the TIB for not highlighting positive issues like the land boundary agreement, increasing remittance inflow, forex reserves and per capita income.
“They will only speak about the flaws. Only TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman is the good man in the country and all of us are bad guys,” the minister said, apparently annoyed.
Source: Bd news24
