BNP leader Ishraque Hossain on Wednesday cautioned Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyan to exercise restraint in his remarks and avoid any vindictive actions to help maintain the current relative calm and prevent any further movement.
"Hopefully, Asif Mahmud will help maintain the current relative calm by showing restraint in his speech and remarks," he said.
Speaking at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club, Ishraque also urged the Local Government Adviser not to even consider taking retaliatory action against the officers and employees of Dhaka South City Corporation who took part in the movement.
“I am giving this as a warning message. The city residents will not accept any deviation from this. If the movement starts again, it will not remain confined to Nagar Bhaban – it will spill out onto the streets. This must be avoided," he warned.
Ishraque’s supporters and BNP activists have been holding a sit-in outside the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) headquarters under the banner Dhakabashi since May 14. Later, the DSCC employees’ union also joined the protest.
Ishraque lost the 2020 Dhaka South mayoral election to the ruling Awami League candidate, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, by nearly 200,000 votes.
However, on March 27 this year, an electoral tribunal overturned the result. The Election Commission then officially declared Ishraque the new mayor on April 27.
Despite this, the local government ministry has refused to arrange his oath-taking ceremony, citing unresolved legal matters.
Ishraque demanded a public apology from Adviser Asif for his insulting comments about the movement and its participants.
He accused Asif of saying on a private TV channel that a local BNP leader from Cumilla had influenced and funded Ishraque's movement.
“This remark has deeply insulted thousands of voters in Dhaka. By just one comment, the people of Dhaka, who endured storms, rain, and intense heat, protesting day after day with physical and mental hardship, have been degraded from the status of citizens to that of animals. For this, he (Asif) must apologise to the public,” the BNP leader said.
He warned that unless Asif either provided proof of his claims or apologised, he should be considered as spreading falsehoods or being unfit for his role.
Ishraque also alleged that Adviser Asif behaved arrogantly by claiming that Ishraque has been “misguided. “Asif thinks he is superior to others and has insulted me severely. I strongly protest this disrespect towards Dhaka residents and their spontaneous movement.”
He also criticised the adviser for saying that Ishraque rejected the government’s offer to be an administrator of the DSCC with arrogance. “In reality, I refused politely because such a proposal is disrespectful to a legally elected public representative and politician.”
Ishraque questioned why the government has not implemented the apex court’s ruling that declared the Election Commission’s gazette confirming his election as mayor to be legal. “Is this not contempt of court?”
He also expressed concern over the alleged unlawful appointments of individuals linked to the NCP in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and claimed that corrupt officials loyal to the adviser were behind the attack on the protestors on Tuesday.
The BNP leader alleged that Golam Kibria Rubel, a controversial DSCC official, was trying to foil the protest and even plotted to kill him and his supporters.
“The attack on the Nagar Bhaban on Tuesday was planned and carried out by some corrupt officials of the Dhaka South City Corporation, who are known to be close to the adviser to the Ministry of Local Government. The main instigator Golam Kibria Rubel--who tried to kill protestors on Tuesday --is facing serious corruption allegations,” he said.