Joining in fear of being branded as militant

BNP is taking part in the December 30 municipality election, fearing that the government might brand the party a militant organisation before foreigners if it boycotts the polls, the party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said yesterday.

“The interesting thing is the foreigners would have believed it,” he told the two-yearly council of a faction of the Dhaka Union of Journalists.

Fakhrul said the government was hurriedly holding the municipality polls under political banners with the aim to defeat BNP.

“The government will get many benefits if it can show the defeat of the country's popular [electoral] symbol, the sheaf of paddy,” he said. “Yet, BNP is participating in the municipality polls for the sake of democracy and people's voting rights.”

Meanwhile, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday alleged that opposition candidates and their supporters were being barred from campaigning following a style introduced by the incumbent prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

The main feature of the style is creating an intimidating environment by law enforcers and party goons so that the voters do not go to polling centres, he said.

Addressing the press at BNP's Nayapaltan central office, Rizvi alleged that ministers, whips and MPs campaigned for ruling party candidates during Victory Day processions in different municipalities. “It's a serious violation of the electoral code of conduct.”

He criticised the Election Commission for its "inaction" against the violations of the election code of conduct by the ruling party men.

Rizvi said the posters of BNP candidates were being destroyed, and ruling party goons with the help of local administration were intimidating voters. A panicky situation has been created for BNP leaders and activists in the election areas, he added.

“It seems that the Election Commission has polluted the election atmosphere to fulfill the evil desire of the ruling party."