BD Correspondent:

BNP senior leader Moudud Ahmed on Friday urged the leaders and activists of their party and alliances to get ready for a strong struggle on the election day to cast their votes under any circumstance.‘It’s our last chance and the last test. You’ll have to cast your votes, if necessary by engaging in fights, and that means you’ll have to go to voting centres and cast your votes by resisting those who will obstruct you. We’ve no other choice,’ he said.

Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader further said, ‘Your victory is certain if you can go to polling stations along with the voters of the sheaf of paddy by putting up a counter-resistance against those will try to impede you.’
Nagorik Odhikar Andolon, a pro-BNP platform, arranged the programme at the National Press Club, marking BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s 54th birthday.

Moudud, a BNP standing committee member, said the government got desperate to win the election by any means as its all intelligence reports suggest that the ruling party had no chance to come out successful as BNP and its alliance partners were there in the race.

He said the government became frightened seeing the wave of people in favour of their election symbol, the sheaf of paddy.

‘I would like to say the government’s all blueprints and evil designs will fall apart with the wave of mass people in favour of the sheaf of paddy, and people will reflect their will by carrying out a strong fight,’ the BNP leader observed.

He came down hard on the Election Commission for its ‘failure’ to ensure a level-playing field, and said the commission turned into a nailless ruling party organisation.

Moudud said their party leaders and activists were arrested regularly while many of them cannot stay in their houses due to harassment by police, even after the announcement of the election schedule. ‘The prime minister promised to stop it, but our hundreds of leaders and activists were being arrested every day.’

He said no official of the civil and police administrations had so far been transferred as the government and the EC was working with an identical goal to ensure the victory of Awami League.

The BNP leader said the civil and police administrations were supposed come under the jurisdiction of the EC, but the commission failed to do that.
‘The civil and police administrations are still under the government’s control.’
He said the prime minister held a meeting with returning officers recently, but the commission did not register its protest against it.

Moudud warned that Bangladesh would turn into a failed sate if the EC fails to hold a fair election this time.