“BNP’s 69 leaders and activists have been arrested in Chattogram over the election. Why have they been arrested? A case has been filed against our 1,000 leaders and activists there. But no one of Awami League was arrested and no case has been filed against them,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

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Speaking at a doa mahfil, he criticised the Election Commission (EC) for its failure to create a proper election atmosphere in Chattogram. 

“Selling out his soul, the Chief Election Commissioner is now licking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s feet. Don't you be ashamed of yourself?  You say you’re a bureaucrat and a former DC. But such a great slave cannot be found anywhere else,” the BNP leader said.

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Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Dhaka east city unit arranged the programme at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, marking the sixth death anniversary of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s younger son Arafat Rahman Koko.

Rizvi said though Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder expressed concern over the Chattogram city polls, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) remained silent about it. “As the CEC is getting the blessings of the Prime Minister, he is not bothered at all about the unfair and repressive acts centring the election and voting.”

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The BNP leader said the Election Commission does not need fair voting and election as the CEC only requires money allocation for plundering in the name of training some people and buying EVMs.

Rizvi said noted intellectuals made an appeal to the President to remove corrupt CEC KM Nurul Huda as he destroyed democracy and buried fair election. “But he (Huda) does not want to quit. Awami government also doesn’t want to remove him as it thinks such a great servant and slave will never be found again.”

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He said there is no alternative to a movement to oust the current government and ensure a fair national election in the country under the neutral election commission and administration.