polls
Independent candidate lands in jail ahead of Magura Zilla Parishad polls
A Magura court has sent an independent chairman candidate of the Zilla Parishad elections and his brother, himself a Union Parishad chairman, to jail after they appeared before it with a bail petition.
District Sessions Jude Kamrul Hasan rejected the bail petition after the hearing in this regard was held Tuesday, said Sajedur Rahman Sangram, the public prosecutor.
Independent chairman candidate in the upcoming Zilla Parishad election Shariat Ullah Rajon, and his brother Kutubullah Hossain Kuti, chairman of Shrikol UP, both landed in prison.
Rajon’s opponents in the election for the chairman post include the ruling Awami League’s candidate Pankaj Kumar Kundu, who is currently general secretary of AL’s district unit, and Jahid Mia, a former Chhatra League leader in Shripur upazila.
The case for which the brothers ended up in jail dates back to August, when Shrikol UP member Chand Ali Sardar and three of his brothers were injured in an attack by unidentified miscreants at the time in Chhangachha village.
Read: Chattogram Zilla Parishad candidate of Awami League ATM Pearul Islam meets CJFD members
Later, a case was filed accusing Rajon and his brother Kuti in this connection, but they managed to obtain six week’ anticipatory bail from the High Court on August 31.
That six-week period ended today, which is why they were appearing before the lower court with the bail petition.
Advocate Shafikuzzaman and two other lawyers standing for the two brothers refused to comment on the court’s decision today.
3 arrested with arms, ammo in Rajshahi planned to create 'anarchy' ahead of polls
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) claimed to have arrested three people and recovered four foreign revolvers, three foreign pistols and a huge amount of ammunitions from Kapashia Pahara area in Rajshahi city on Friday.
The arrestees are identified as Md Atikur Rahman alias Atik, 35, son of Md Abdul Matin of Kapashia Parharpur, his cohorts Md Shaheen Ali, 25, son of Md Jhandu Mia of Charkajla and Md Shahidul Islam, 26, son of Md Nekchhar Ai of Dharampur Purbopara in the city respectively.
Lieutenant Colonel Riaz Shahriar, commandant of the Rab-5, disclosed this information at a press conference in the Rab office of the city.
Read: Arms, ammo recovered from Rajshahi border
He said on information a team of the elite force conducted a drive at house of Atik and recovered four foreign revolvers, three foreign pistols, four magazines, eight rounds of bullet, 1.1 kilogram of gunpowder, 750 gram of stone used in making bomb and cocktail, other ammunitions, two mobile phone sets and four SIM cards.
With information revealed from Atik, the elite force also arrested Shaheen and Shahidul from separate places in the city, he said.
“The arrestees informed us that Rajshahi University’s students Tanjim, 27, and Md Abdur Rahim, 28, supplied the arms to them after collecting from an unknown place on Indian border,” he said.
The varsity’s students are members of an anti-liberation force and their main target is to destabilise stability of the country, he said adding that drives are on to nab them.
Replying to a question, the Rab officer said they had information the arrestees gathered the arms and ammunitions to create anarchy in Rajshahi as well as the country ahead of the next parliament elections.
GM Quader expresses doubt about inclusive election
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader expressed his doubt whether the next general election will be free and fair and inclusive.
“The overall situation of the country is fragile with unstable political situation. In such a situation we don’t have any idea whether the election will be held in free and participatory?” he said.
Quader was talking to reporters at Rangpur Circuit House on Monday.
Describing the economic condition of the country as vulnerable the Jatiya Party leader said there has been a decline in remittance and export earnings, while the import costs are rising.
He wondered how long the country can bear the burden of debt caused by mega projects.
Replying to a question about formation of any alliance, Quader said no decision has been taken yet.
Read: AL desperate to prevent fair polls: Rizvi
Participation in election is an important thing and decisions will be taken after a meeting with the leaders and activists from higher to grassroots level of the party.
Asked about any secret alliance with BNP, the Jatiya Party chief said “We do not get involved in any entente and everything happens transparently.”
Noting that the both parties, Awami League and BNP are the same, GM Quader said now people do want a change and their safety.
“People do not want to see murder, rape and looting and we want to present people a healthy politics,” he added.
The JP chairman announced that the party has chosen Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa as its candidate for mayoral post of Rangpur City Corporation in upcoming election.
Obstructionist ruling party an ominous sign ahead of polls: GM Quader
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Saturday said the repeated obstructions by the ruling party at opposition political programmes are an ominous sign for the upcoming national election.
He also warned that the country may witness serious political violence in the days to come if political parties cannot hold peaceful programmes.
GM Quader, also the deputy leader of the opposition in parliament, made the remarks while talking to reporters after visiting Shafiqul Islam, a Jatiya Party leader of Pirojpur, who has been receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital with severe injuries after being attacked by assailants.
"We are being prevented in various places from carrying out political activities systematically,” he said.
The Jatiya Party chairman alleged that their party could not hold a peaceful programme in Gazipur on Friday due to obstruction by law enforcers.
He said their party tried to hold the rally to express their opinion in a peaceful manner in Gazipur.
“If we’re obstructed, how can politics be normal and where will normal politics prevail? If the path of normal politics is blocked in such a way, then I fear the country will be headed for major violence in the future and this is an ominous sign for the upcoming elections," Quader observed.
Read: Jatiya Party to shun alliances at next election: GM Quader
He also said the ruling party is sending out a message by blocking the oppositions’ programmes that they are ready to flex their muscles during the next election. “It is very unfortunate. We believe in systematic politics. We don't believe in violence.”
The Jatiya Party chairman said the government must ensure political parties’ right to freedom of expression, of assembly and to demonstrate.
“If we’re obstructed from doing these, then normal politics won’t continue here. The normal politics will be replaced by violent politics and normal politics may finally disappear, inviting a huge danger for us," he said.
GM Quader said he visited seriously wounded Shafiqul and talked to doctors about his condition.
He alleged that the ruling party ‘cadres’ hacked Shafiqul, General Secretary of the local JP unit in Tuskhali Union of Pirojpur's Mathbaria Upazila, and severed one of his legs while he (Shafiqul) was on his way to a local court.
“This attack was carried out with the intention of killing Shafiqul Islam. Now his condition is critical. Even if he survives, he will have to live with the curse of disability for the rest of his life,” GM Quader bemoaned.
He demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the attack on Shafiqul.
Will have tea with you if you accept demand for caretaker govt: Fakhrul to PM
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday said they have no problem taking tea with the prime minister at her office if she accepts the party’s demand for the caretaker government to oversee the next polls.
“You first say that you’re accepting the caretaker government system. You come up with this announcement and then we'll have no problem having tea at the Prime Minister’s Office,” he said responding to PM Sheikh Hasina’s offer made on Saturday.
Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader said the formation of a representative parliament and government having accountability to people is the only solution to the country’s current political and economic crisis.
The Association of Engineers, Bangladesh arranged the programme on the ongoing crisis in the power and energy sector at the Jatiya Press Club.
He also said the country is now facing an economic crisis caused by widespread corruption as the government is not accountable to people.
“So, we would like to say, there is no point in making a blunt comment like offering tea. We would like to say one thing that you step down handing over power to a non-party neutral government and pave the way for an acceptable and inclusive election under a new election commission and thus take back Bangladesh,” the BNP leader said pointing at the PM.
Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she would offer BNP leaders tea if they come to besiege her office (Prime Minister's Office).
"I will listen to them – whatever they want to say. I believe in democracy," she said while speaking at a meeting of Awami League's Dhaka North and South units.
Fakhrul said they are in talks with political parties to forge unity for ensuring the fall of the Awami League government.
“We must be united to get rid of the awful regime. I urge the country’s people to get united for defeating the current government through a street movement and thus materialise the dreams of the country’s Liberation War,” he said.
Read: Accept election-time govt demand or face ouster: Fakhrul to AL
About the power crisis, the BNP leader said the government has increased the power generation capacity without thinking of the sources of fuel and energy needed for it.
"Unfortunately, this government wants us to wear shoes that are much bigger than what they need. As a result, they are now unable to walk and getting stumbled. They take steps for quick rental power plants and nuclear power plants for power generation, but they didn’t think about where the fuel will come from,” he observed.
Stating that 51 per cent of fuel for power generation comes from gas, he said the government has not made any step for exploring it in the last 15 years. “They have been in power for 15 years. In these 15 years, they have only focused on how to plunder thousands of crores of taka and siphoned it off abroad.”
Fakhrul alleged that country and its people are facing an economic crisis for the misdeeds of the government. “Their (govt’s) corruption, looting, incapability and failure all together have made people’s lives miserable in Bangladesh.”
He said the ruling party leaders bragged about turning Bangladesh into Malaysia, Canada and San Francisco, but the poverty rate in the country has increased to 40-42 per cent. People are now unable to manage two meals a day. Even, 21 per cent of people in some districts of Bangladesh, including Kurigram, Gaibandha and Sunamganj, cannot eat two meals a day.”
The BNP leader said the ruling party leaders are now making reckless comments due to the economic crisis amid the decline in the flow of remittances.
He alleged that people in rural areas are hit hard by the frequent power outages. “The load-shedding is highest in the rural areas as the government wants to keep the people of cities happy with fewer power outages, but it will hamper crop production and put the food security at stake.”
BNP getting ready to oust govt, not to join polls under Hasina: Abbas
BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas on Saturday said their party is preparing for ousting the Awami League government, not for joining the national election under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“BNP is not getting ready for an election under Sheikh Hasina. Rather, we are preparing for ensuring the fall of this government,” he said.
Speaking at a rally, the BNP leader also said their party will no longer let the government continue its misrule and repressive acts.
Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal organised the rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club protesting the killing of its Jashore unit leader Badiuzzaman Dhani.
Read: BNP conspires to seize state power, says Obaidul Quader
Badiuzzaman Dhani, 42, senior vice president of Jashore District Jubo Dal was hacked to death by miscreants in Jashore town on July 12.
Abbas, a BNP standing committee member, said the government is trying to hush up the killers of Badiuzzaman by describing his murder as an outcome of intra-party conflicts.
“We would like to make it clear that this is not an internal feud. Awami League has carried out this murder incident to scare BNP workers,” he said.
“We don’t want to see any more killing. This time we’ll come up with resistance and protest. This government won’t be spared anymore,” the BNP leader said.
Cumilla City Corporation election ends peacefully
Voting in the Cumilla City Corporation election ended peacefully amid reports of technical fault in voting machines in a couple of centres and slow voting.
Balloting for the election started at 8am and continued till 4pm without any break.
Counting of votes began shortly after the voting ended.
Voters exercised their franchise in a festive mood using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Independent candidate and immediate-past mayor Monirul Haque Sakku cast his vote around 9 am at Hossamia High School in the city.
Read: Voting underway in Cumilla City polls
Talking to reporters, Sakku said he is hopeful about his victory if the election becomes held free and fair.
Expressing satisfaction over the overall election environment, Awami League candidate Arfanul Haque Rifat said he is also hopeful about his victory.
Rifat cast his vote at Cumilla Victoria Collegiate High School around 9:15 am.
Later, Mohammad Nizam Uddin Kaiser, an independent candidate and local MP AKM Bahauddin Bahar also cast their vote at the same centre.
A large number of voters were seen standing in long queues to cast their votes despite rain in the morning.
Presiding Officer of Cumilla High School under No 5 Ward, Fazlul Karim, said voting at the polling centre disrupted for 42 minutes due to technical fault at Electronic Voting Machine.
The EVM machine of no 1 booth out of the six booths at the centre went out of order, halting vote casting.
Later, the balloting at the center started after 42 minutes after a technical team repaired the machine and changed it.
The centre is set for female voters and one vote was cast in 51 minutes due to a technical fault.
Arpana Sen, a voter, said “I managed to stand in the queue around 7:30 am but failed to proceed further for a long time.”
During a visit to Reazuddin Government Primary School, this correspondent found that some people wearing boat badges thronged the polling centre. Asked about the presence of many people at a centre, Abdul Kuddus, who was among them, said they are there to help people cast their vote easily.
Contacted, Returning officer of Cumilla City Corporation Election, Shahedunnabi Chowdhury, said they are investigating the incident.
Presiding Officer of the polling centre, Hafizur Rahman, said “No untoward incident occurred till 12 pm and the voters are casting their votes in a peaceful manner.”
Five candidates are vying for the office of mayor.
It is the third election of the Cumilla City Corporation after its formation in 2011 while for the first under the new Election Commission, which will be conducted through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in its entirety.
Law enforcement agencies have mounted tight security measures to ensure peaceful holding of much talked-about polls, said superintendent of Cumilla Police Faruk Ahmed on Tuesday.
The whole city has been brought under security blanket, he said while speaking at a press briefing on law and order situation ahead of the polls at Language Movement Hero Dhrirendanath Datta Stadium.
The law enforcement agencies have done whatever is needed to ensure security and at least 75 check-posts were installed in the city, he said.
Over 3,600 members of law enforcement agencies have already been deployed in the field to maintain law and order, he added.
The last Cumilla city election was held on Mar 30, 2017. BNP leader Monirul Haque Sakku was elected mayor for the second term.
BNP has a history of rigging election to trample people’s rights: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said that since opposition BNP has a history of tainted polls it has no right now to raise question about election.
“The history of elections during BNP regimes is so much contaminated… they do not have any right to talk about election,” she said while addressing a discussion arranged by Awami League to mark her homecoming from exile in India in 1981.
Held at the party’s central office at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue she joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
Hasina mentioned how the BNP government rigged the Magura parliamentary bye-election in 1994 to snatch away the victory of her party’s candidate.
Also read: PM Hasina: Focus on nature, environment in development of Cox's Bazar
The blatant rigging, she said, triggered a popular movement to force Khaleda Zia’s government to quit and hand over power to a neutral caretaker government to hold the parliamentary election.
She also referred to the February 15 parliamentary election Khaleda held in 1996 which was boycotted by the opposition parties and shunned by voters.
Similarly elections were rigged by BNP in 1981 and by Ziaur Rahman in 1977, 1978 and1979, Hasina said.
She said that BNP, knowing quite well that they would suffer a huge defeat in the next general election, is now trying to make it questionable
Hasina also wondered about the leadership of BNP.
“BNP has no leadership at all, all are convicted criminals, it is not possible to win any election by convicted criminals,” she said adding, she has a question regarding BNP’s recent move about the election.“If people do not respond to their movement, who will be held responsible for that,” she wondered.
She said that the development of the election system was the brainchild of the Awami League. She mentioned about the voters’ list with picture, transparent ballot box and EVM.
“We want to establish the right to vote by the voters. So their (BNP) concern is just meaningless,” she said.
Hasina, also the chief of the ruling Awami League, said her party has been elected by the people. It has returned the voting rights to the people.
“Awami League has returned the people’s democratic right to them. That is its biggest strength and as we are in power by that strength we are working for the people,” she said.
AL wants EVM in next polls in new plot to rig votes: BNP
BNP senior leader Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku on Wednesday alleged that the ruling Awami League wants the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to be used in all 300 seats in the next national election as part of its fresh plot to rig vote digitally instead of stuffing ballots.
He was talking to journalists after placing a wreath at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave together with the leaders of the party’s newly made Chandpur district unit committee.
Also read:AL’s assurance of fair polls a trap for BNP: Rizvi
“The daytime voting was held at night in the last election. They now want the use of EVM so that the ballots need not be stuffed at night,” he said.
Tuku, a BNP standing committee member, also said by using the EVMs the ruling party will set a programme on their own and take 80% of votes showing 90% of votes cast. “It’s that kind of plot what the country’s people and we understand.”
The BNP leader said no election will be fair in Bangladesh unless it is held under a completely neutral government.
He said neither BNP nor the other opposition parties would join the next polls if held under the current Awami League government.
Tuku said political parties in Bangladesh established democracy through movements in the past. “We’ll again wage a movement for the restoration of that democracy, and we’ll realise our demands through the movement."
Replying to a question, he said Awami League also knows it very well that the election will not be accepted internationally if BNP boycotts it.
Tuku also slammed Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader for advising BNP to participate in the election for the sake of its existence, saying there is a question about the existence of Awami League, not BNP.
Also read:Chhatra League attack on LDP leader Redwan ‘premeditated’: BNP
“We have a party and most people are with us. “They’ve no party and only police and hooligans are with them…We won’t join the election under them this time,” he said.
Asked whether their party will finally take part in talks with the government and join the election under it as they did in 2018, Tuku said Awami League had broken all trusts of people and usurped power defeating people. “This time the election will be held only when people turn victorious and we’ll go to that polls.”
BNP won’t join any polls under AL govt: Fakhrul
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday reaffirmed that their party will not join any election, be it parliamentary or local government ones, under the current government.
"Our position on the election is clear. We are not going to participate in any polls-- whether it is a local government or parliamentary election--under the current government," he said.
Also read: Extortion goes unabated in all markets with govt backing: BNP
A day after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the elections to Cumilla City Corporation, Fakhrul made the remarks while talking to journalists at his local residence in Kalibari area.
Replying to a question, Fakhrul said the country’s people will determine how the next election will be held and how the country will run. “But we’ve long been saying we won’t take part in any election under the partisan government.”
He said the Awami League has now established a one-person’s rule along with the one-party rule. “They (govt) are now internationally recognised as an autocratic regime while newspapers and different countries are branding Awami League as an authoritarian party.”
Also read: AL’s character to blame BNP for its own misdeeds: Mirza Fakhrul
The BNP leader alleged that the Awami League government has become completely dependent on the bureaucrats and the law enforcement agencies as it has become isolated from the country's people. “So, it seems ridiculous to people when the Awami League talks about democracy.”
Referring to the detention of a mother and her son in the capital’s Kalabagan area for raising voice to protect Tetultala playground, Fakhrul said, “This incident has exposed how authoritarian the government is and how human rights are being violated now in the country.”
He alleged that the government has no control over the state institution and law enforcement agencies. “People’s rights are being snatched at the behest of the government as there is no rule of law.”