Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday alleged that “pro-Awami League” officials have been given the responsibility for conducting the elections to two Dhaka city corporations scheduled for January 30.  “We know those having pro-AL backgrounds given the responsibility for holding elections to the two city corporations. We also know who went to a minister for getting approval for a vehicle and who took the government land for getting permission for one’s own school,” said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Speaking at a programme at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, he further said, “Those who lack ethical values have been given charges to conduct voting through EVMs. Most countries have already rejected these machines as those can be manipulated.”

The BNP leader said their party is against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the city polls as it thinks people’s verdict will not be reflected if the voting is held with the machines. About Monday’s by-polls to Chattogram-8 constituency, he said voters were not allowed to go to the polling stations as the ruling party supports exploded hand bombs and attacked people with sticks.

 “Many people may say we couldn’t prevent such acts. How the gentlemen and common people will tackle the hooligans and those resort to terrorism. This is the reality. Common voters don’t engage in violence and they want to cast their votes, but they aren’t allowed to do so,” Fakhrul observed.

He alleged that the government is turning Bangladesh into a failed state by snatching people’s voting rights.

The BNP leader, however, urged their party people not to get frustrated. “Never give up, no matter how much suffering, pains and repressions you are going through. The people of the country will stand up and put up a resistance as they did repeatedly in the past.”

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Help Cell arranged the programme and provided financial assistance to the family members of the party’s 10 leaders who were either subjected to enforced disappearance, killing or maiming by law enforcers and ruling party ‘cadres’. Fakhrul alleged that Awami League has long been resorting to serious repressive acts using the state machinery to hang onto power by ‘restoring’ one-party rule.