BNP on Tuesday alleged that at least 29 false claims have been spread against its Chairman Tarique Rahman over the past one week in an apparent attempt to mislead the public.
“We are observing with deep concern that in just the past one week, at least 29 false and misleading claims have been spread targeting our leader, BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman. Clear evidence of this has emerged in reports published by various fact-checking platforms,” said BNP Election Steering Committee Spokesperson Mahdi Amin.
Speaking at a press briefing at the BNP Election Steering Committee office in Gulshan, he said leaders and activists of a particular political party have once again taken responsibility for circulating false narratives created during the fascist period, using the same language and similar slogans to mislead people.
“It is clear that, faced with BNP’s growing public wave and popular support, they are becoming increasingly disconnected from the people. As a result, they have abandoned healthy political competition and chosen dirty tactics such as personal attacks and the spread of disinformation,” Mahdi said.
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He said Tarique’s recent visits to Khulna and Jashore saw massive participation of party leaders, activists, supporters, voters and general people, creating a strong public wave in favour of the party’s electoral symbol, the sheaf of paddy.
Concern over BNCC Cadet Deployment
The BNP leader expressed concern over the decision to deploy Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) cadets for election duties in the 13th national parliamentary election and the referendum.
He said many BNCC cadets are college and university students who may be affiliated with political parties or ideologies, which could hamper a free, fair and neutral election if they are involved in polling activities.
Mahdi also said BNP has already written to the Election Commission (EC), requesting it not to deploy BNCC cadets in election-related duties.
Worries over Election Observers
The BNP spokesperson also raised questions over the appointment of election observers.
Mahdi said that according to information available on the Election Commission’s website, a total of 55,454 observers from 81 local organisations had been approved as of January 26.
“Of them, 34,442 observers are from only 16 organisations. This is a matter of serious concern,” he said.
The BNP leader alleged that some observer organisations are led by individuals linked to a particular political party and warned that this could be misused with ill intent on election day.
To ensure a level playing field, he placed two demands before the Election Commission-- verification of the full list of observers to exclude those linked with political parties or candidates, and reduction of observer numbers from organisations with limited experience.
The BNP spokesperson also demanded a directive barring more than two local observers from entering any polling centre at the same time.
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Stance on Reforms
Speaking on state reforms, Mahdi said BNP has maintained a clear position on reform from the beginning.
He said BNP presented Vision-2030 in 2016, followed by a 27-point reform proposal in 2022 and a more detailed 31-point proposal in 2023.
The BNP spokesperson claimed that BNP was the first to propose a bicameral parliament, term limits for the prime minister and a five percent quota for merit-based recruitment.
“As part of this continuity, BNP has taken a firm position in favour of a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum on state reforms in the upcoming national election,” he said.
Mahdi said BNP believes that only through people’s empowerment and the restoration of voting rights can a democratic, accountable and modern state system be established.
He also said the party’s election manifesto for the 13th parliamentary election is likely to be announced on February 6.
Tarique’s Barishal Tour
Mahdi said Tarique Rahman will visit Barishal and Faridpur on Wednesday as part of his election campaign.
According to the schedule, he said Tarique will leave Dhaka by air at 11:00am and reach Barishal at 12:00 noon, where he will address an election rally at Bells Park ground.
Mahdi said the BNP chief will leave Barishal for Faridpur at 1:00pm and join another election rally at Rajendra College ground in Faridpur at 1:45pm.
The BNP chief is scheduled to return to Dhaka after the rallies.