BNP won't back out of polls
BNP policymakers have decided not to ask party-endorsed runners in the city elections to withdraw from the race even if BNP chief Khaleda Zia faces more attacks while campaigning for them.
Before deciding so, BNP senior leaders at an urgent meeting with Khaleda at the party's Nayapaltan office on Wednesday night talked about the party chairperson's motorcade coming under attack of allegedly activists of pro-Awami League Bangladesh Chhatra League at Bangla Motor that day.
Khaleda's motorcade came under attack at Karwan Bazar on Monday as well when she was campaigning for a party-backed mayoral aspirant.
A number of senior BNP leaders believe that the ruling Awami League was trying to incite the BNP into having its endorsed candidates withdraw themselves from the polls.
"But we won't fall into that trap or instigation of the government. Our party leaders will remain in the election battle until the end,” BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed told The Daily Star.
Another standing committee member Hannan Shah said fearing defeat of their party-backed mayoral candidates in Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Chittagong city corporations, the government was now plotting to get the BNP out of the race.
The BNP leaders said they would try to draw the attention of the international community to the ongoing political situation and keep registering their protest with the Election Commission.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, a number of BNP policymakers claimed that the government at first had thought the 20-party alliance would not take part in the city corporation polls suspending its anti-government movement.
“The government had planned to have a one-sided race to ensure victory of their candidates keeping the BNP at bay. But we did not make the same mistake like the one of January 5 [2014] which frustrated the ruling party,” another BNP standing committee member said, wishing anonymity.
“We think the government high-ups are in an unpleasant situation after the BNP chief started campaigning and received a huge response from voters,” the leader added.
In a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office yesterday, BNP International Affairs Secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon claimed that the ruling party high-ups lost their minds seeing the overwhelming supports for the BNP-backed candidates.
"The ruling party men are carrying out attacks constantly on madam's [Khaleda's] motorcade to force the BNP to back out of the city polls,” Khaleda's adviser Khandker Mahbub Hossain told The Daily Star.
KHALEDA SKIPPED CAMPAIGN
With her damaged car still being repaired, Khaleda yesterday skipped electioneering for her party-backed mayoral candidates in Dhaka North and Dhaka South, sources said.
“A window of her SUV was badly damaged in yesterday's [Wednesday] attack. It was being replaced. Besides, other damaged parts of the car are being repaired as well,” an adviser to the BNP chief told The Daily Star yesterday.
“We have advised her not to go for electioneering in the city today [yesterday]. She is likely to resume her campaigning from tomorrow [today],” the adviser said wishing anonymity.
At least nine of the BNP chief's 21 security personnel got injured during the attacks carried out in the last three days, said Sayrul Kabir Khan, a staff of Khaleda's media wing.
Comments