The BNP on Monday alleged that the ruling party candidates and their supporters are threatening to stop providing various state facilities and allowances to the voters who will not go to the polling stations on January 7 after having failed to get any response from the people.
“The vote-robber regime has been applying an inhumane way of torture to compel helpless voters to go to the polling stations as part of its evil efforts to dodge the democratic world by showing a large turnout,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
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Speaking at a virtual press briefing, he said the entire 'Awami clique', including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the state machinery have become anxious as the farcical dummy election of seat distribution and sharing is not getting momentum.
“They have now started threatening the voters in various ways. There are even threats to stop the old allowance, widow allowance, and maternity allowance, OMS, fertilizers and seeds distribution among farmers if they boycott voting,” the BNP leader said.
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Rizvi also said the Awami League has targeted about two crore people who are getting various benefits through cards under the government's social safety net.
“The officials of the administration loyal to them (the ruling party) are collecting the cards of the beneficiaries and their family members and those will be returned if they cast their votes. Threats are being given to cancel the cards of those who won’t exercise their right to vote,” he said.
Rizvi also accused the ruling party candidates and their campaigners of threatening people to be evicted from their homes if they do not go to the polling stations.
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He also slammed Election Commissioner Md Anisur Rahman for issuing a threat to fine, arrest and send to jail those who will try to prevent voting and distribute leaflets for not going to the polling stations.
The BNP leader alleged that the entire country has been turned into an incredible hell and prison with the repressive acts of the government. “Prisoners are being tortured and killed in prisons.”
He claimed that more than 195 leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies have been arrested across the country in the last 24 hours as of 5pm on Monday.
The BNP leader also said a total of 11,270 BNP leaders and workers have been arrested since the announcement of the election schedule on November 15.