The High Court today directed the Election Commission to allocate BNP’s election symbol “Sheaf of Paddy” to its four candidates in place of other four rival contenders who were earlier allocated the same symbol.

Kamrun Nahar Shirin will get “Sheaf of Paddy” in place of Monjurul Islam Bimal for Natore-1, Abdul Hamid Dabliu will get “Sheaf of Paddy” in place of SA Kabir Jinnah for Manikganj-1, Mostafizur Rahman will get “Sheaf of Paddy” instead of Khalek Chowdhury for Naogaon-1 and Masuda Momin will get “Sheaf of Paddy” in place of Abdul Muhith Talukder, Deputy Attorney General Motaher Hossain Sazu told The Daily Star.

He said Monjurul, Jinnah, Khalek and Muhith cannot contest the December 30 election following the HC orders, he said, adding that they can, however, move appeals before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the HC orders.

The HC stayed for three months the EC’s decisions to allocate “Sheaf of Paddy” to Monjurul, Jinnah, Khalek and Muhith and issued separate rules asking the EC and government to explain in four weeks why the EC’s decisions should not be declared illegal.

The bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam came up with the orders and rules following separate writ petitions filed by Kamrun Nahar, Abdul Hamid, Mostafizur and Masuda challenging the EC’s decisions.            

The writ petitioners said in their petitions that BNP nominated them first for contesting the December 30 general election.

But the EC allocated “Sheaf of Paddy” to their rival candidates in violation of the Representation of People’s Order (RPO), they said in the petitions.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, along with members of the party's standing committee, is scheduled to meet Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus this afternoon.

Shairul Kabir Khan, a member of the BNP's media cell, said, "At the Chief Adviser's invitation, Mirza Fakhrul will visit his residence at 4:00pm.

"Standing Committee members will participate under Fakhrul's leadership," he added.

Seven political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat, yesterday said Prof Muhammad Yunus-led interim government can take the time necessary for creating an atmosphere conducive to holding a free and fair election.

Along with the BNP and Jamaat, Amar Bangladesh Party, two factions of Gono Adhikar Parishad, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, and National Democratic Movement told Prof Yunus this at separate meetings in the state guest house Jamuna.

During the meetings, in which advisers Asif Nazrul, Adilur Rahman, Farida Akhter, Nahid Islam, and Asif Mahmud were present, the parties were asked if the National Day of Mourning should be observed and whether August 15 should remain a public holiday. 

Sources who were present at the meetings said all the parties opined that August 15 should not be observed as a day of mourning, and the public holiday is not needed.

However, no decision was made in this regard, they said.

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Emerging from the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who led an eight-member delegation to the meeting, told journalists, "We have given this interim government the time required to create a proper environment for holding an election."

He said they did not discuss the election and that the BNP did not mention any specific time frame for holding the next election.

Fakhrul said his party was extending its full support to all the activities of the interim government.

Sources in the BNP said the party urged the chief adviser to have all the cases against its leaders, including those against party chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chairman Tarique Rahman, withdrawn. 

Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, who led an 11-member delegation to the meeting, told the media that his party's discussions with the interim government  focused on national issues, not party specifics.

"We are hopeful that the interim government will solve various problems within a reasonable time," he said.

Andaleeve Rahman Partho, chairman of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), said, "The fall of the Awami League [government] occurred through a revolution, and it will take some time for the situation to stabilise.

"For the last 15 years, everything the Awami League government did was illegal. Now, it's time to repair the state. We don't want to rush to an election. Whatever good this government does, we will support."

Chairman Bobby Hajjaj of National Democratic Movement (NDM) said, "We urged the advisers to remove the representatives in local governments and appoint administrators.

"We suggested changing the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police, and reforms to the Election Commission.

"We have received assurance from the chief adviser that neither the Awami League nor its people will be given power."

The convener of a faction of Gono Odhikar Parishad, Reza Kibria, said, "The interim government will work for as long as it takes to stabilise the situation in the country and create an environment conducive to polls."

Nurul Haque Nur, who led another faction of the Gono Odhikar Parishad, said they placed a 14-point demand before the chief adviser. "We have urged the swift implementation of reforms and preparation of a roadmap for national elections."

ON AUGUST 15

AB Party Convener AFM Solaiman Chowdhury, who led a three-member team at the meeting, said observing National Day of Mourning goes against the spirit of the proclamation of independence and the July uprising.

"Actually, we had only one thing on the agenda at today's meeting -- whether August 15 should be observed as national mourning day," party's Joint Member-secretary Asaduzzaman Fuaad told The Daily Star.

"This administration is an extraordinary government that took over following the mass uprising and ouster of a dictatorial regime. Therefore, the mood and feelings of the student and young protesters on the streets should be respected," Fuaad said he had told the chief adviser.

The party argued that no public holiday is observed for Abraham Lincoln or the founding fathers of the US or Winston Churchill in Britain.

Reza Kibria said, "There is no reason to have a holiday on August 15. We know that the Awami League tried to make August a month of mourning for us, but we liberated the country and regained independence on August 5. Therefore, it is necessary to cancel the public holiday.

"Today's discussion mainly focused on observing August 15. There is no justification for this day. Dr Yunus will make the final decision on whether this day will be observed."

Nur said, "We have requested a review of various important decisions made by the government…

"All political parties that participated in today's meetings, including ours, have said that August is a month of national revolution. We want to observe this month as a month of revolution. It is not a month of mourning. It is a month of happiness and peace."

The Awami League has been observing the day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's assassination as National Day of Mourning. In 2001, the BNP-led four-party coalition government cancelled the holiday.

However, the High Court later ruled that the cancellation of the holiday was invalid.

This was the first day of meetings between the chief adviser and different political parties since Yunus-led interim government took office on August 8 following the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5.

Ganatantra Mancha and Islami Andolan also had meetings with the chief adviser yesterday, but this paper could not reach them for comments.

The BNP has started reorganising the party to inject vigour and form a strong base to relaunch its anti-government movement.

The party decided to revamp the organisation after evaluating the "success and failure" of its movement centring the January 7 national election.

As part of the move, the party dissolved the convening committees of its Dhaka south and North city units on Thursday night. The BNP also announced dissolution of the convening committees of its Chattogram and Barishal city units.

The central committee of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, led by President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku and General Secretary Abdul Monayem Munna, has also been dissolved.

Party sources said the move was made to relieve those leaders who failed to wage a movement centring on the January 7 national polls, and to bring "tested and young" leaders into the party's leadership.

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The quest is for an opposition, not a government

The BNP and some other political parties  boycotted the polls.

The sources said that after the polls, party high-ups evaluated the movement outcomeand its leaders' role and decided to reorganise the party based on the evaluation report.

"Movement, organisation, and election are interrelated. The move to reorganise the party is to strengthen the party's organisational capacity and to intensify the movement," BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told The Daily Star.

He, however, said the process of dissolving committees and forming new ones is a routine task carried out by a political party.

BNP leaders said party acting chairman Tarique Rahman started the process following its post-election report.

He held a series of meetings with the leaders, including the latest one with the Dhaka city unit leaders on Thursday.

"He [Tarique] told the meeting that new committees will be formedand he sought cooperation from all," said a senior leader, wishing not to be named.

BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy said dedicated and competent leaders would be included in the new committees.

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Upcoming upazila elections: BNP remains split over joining polls

Sources said new faces will be included in those committees which are yet to expire. However, those who failed to carry out their duties during the movement will be dropped.

"The party's acting chairman already has a list of such failed leaders," Goyeshwarsaid.

The BNP enforced hartals, blockades, and waged a non-cooperation movement to press home its one-point demand-- resignation of the government and parliamentary polls under an interim administration.

The government rather cornered the opposition party through pressure, arrest, and implicating top and mid-ranking BNP leaders in numerous cases, said party leaders. 

BNP candidates of Dhaka-4 and Dhaka-19 constituencies are fearing further attacks on their campaigns and activists.

They both complained of inaction from the authorities despite repeated complaints, they claimed at separate press conferences today.

Dhaka-4 candidate Alhaj Salauddin Ahmed held a press conference in his Shyampur residence, alleging of police threats to his supporters.

Expressing fear for his life and family, he alleged law enforcers are continuing drives to arrest and harass the opposition leaders and activists.

“Several times I have lodged complaints to the Election Commission in this regard but did not get any response,” he said.

Dhaka-19 candidate Dr Dewan Mohammad Salauddin Babu alleged police, with help of ruling Awami League activists, are carrying out mass arrests of BNP activists.

He claimed arrests of at least 19 top BNP activists in the locality and attack and vandalism of BNP’s campaign offices in the area.

Fearing further vandalism, he said he has halted the election campaign for a few days. He too alleged of authorities’ inaction despite repeated complaints.