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Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal has said that his comment about combating words with rifles during elections was a joke.
The CEC gave this explanation in a dialogue with the Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party at the election building on Monday .
“You must have a concerted effort. If someone stands with a sword, you should stand with a rifle or another sword. If you run, what do I do? We will help. We’ll have command over the police and the government,” the CEC had said at the meeting with a team of Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM) yesterday.
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"A Chief Election Commissioner does not have enough commonsense to comment like this? If that is true then I am arrested under Arms Act, which I did under Arms Act. The police will come and take me away. There is one thing - whether it is said from the heart or a joke, these must be understood," he said.
CEC said that the main news in the paper about this, is to bring down a man. After that, there is no more morale to work.
A delegation of 10 members led by the General Secretary of Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party participated in the EC dialogue. Among others, four Election Commissioners and senior EC officials were present.
Also read: CEC’s statement on election-time violence suicidal: TIB