“It seems the government wants to hold a unilateral election. They’re hatching various plots and cancelling the candidatures of ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ candidates creating undue pressure on the court,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
He came up with the allegation at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
The BNP leader alleged that the government is arresting opposition candidates and their supporters, and attacking them as part of its efforts to ‘hang onto power’. “We believe people with their united strength will defeat the undemocratic forces.”
Rizvi said though upazila chairmen and municipality mayors can contest the election resigning from their posts, the court is now saying they cannot be there in the race even after their resignation. “We still believe that the apex court will review its decision and take proper steps for an acceptable election.”
Reacting to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s comment that those nominate war criminals can destroy the country, he said it is Awami League which made an anti-liberation element minister first by inducting Jamalpur’s Nurul Islam Rajakar into the cabinet.
“Your party is still swarmed with those anti-liberation war forces. The Prime Minister is again selling the Liberation War to deceive people…Awami League is silent over the anti-liberation elements belonging to it,” the BNP leader said.
He claimed that many Rajakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams men and those involved in crimes against humanity like mass killing, gang rape and arson attack during the Liberation War are now with Awami League. “These elements or their children and relatives are the big leaders of Awami League, and they’re participating in the election with its ticket.”
Giving the references of different books, Rizvi presented a list of 23 Awami League leaders’ names who themselves or their relatives collaborated with the Pakistani forces and had been involved in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
Prominent of them are Advocate Qamrul Islam, his elder brother Hakim Azizul Islam, Faruk Khan, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Kazi Zafrullah, Advocate Moslem Uddin, HN Ashiqur Rahman and Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, he said. “Many of them got nomination from the party this time as well.”
Besides, the BNP leader said, AL Presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim’s brother-in-law Moosa bin Shamsher, junior minister Mirza Azam’s father Mirza Golam Kashem, ex-junior minister Maulana Nurul Islam, Abdul Barek Hawlader, father of Gopalganj’s Kotalipara upazila unit party general secretary Mujibar Rahman Hawlader and same upazila unit Mohila AL president Rafeza Begum, his brother Azizul Haque, Malek Daria, father of Gopalganj Muktijoddha Sangsad’s deputy commander Abul Kalam Daria, Kotalipara unit Sramik League president Amir Hossain’s father Mohan Miah, Gopalganj upazila AL joint general secretary Golam Kibria Daria’s father Munshi Rajjab Ali Daria, Kotalipara municipality mayor and AL leader HM Ahedul Islam’s father Bahadur Hajra and his brother-in-law Rejaul Hawlader, Gopalganj AL leader Delwar Hossain Sardar and his father Hashem Sardar and Jamalpur’s Bakshiganj upazila AL president Abul Kalam Azad’s father Abdul Quayum Munshi were collaborators of the Pakistani forces and involved in crimes against humanity.