29 pieces of misleading information against Tarique in a week, says BNP alleging smear campaign
"Political biasness" of BNCC members and local election observers linked to a "specific political party" could undermine the polls' neutrality.
BNP's Election Steering Committee has alleged that a coordinated misinformation campaign is targeting its chairman, Tarique Rahman, claiming that at least 29 pieces of fake and misleading information were circulated against him in the past week alone.
Speaking at a press conference in Gulshan today (3 February), the committee's spokesperson Mahdi Amin stated that reports from various fact-checking platforms have already validated these findings.
He expressed the party's concern, noting that certain political quarters have adopted the same "fascist narratives" and "sayings" used by the previous autocratic regime to create public confusion.
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Mahdi asserted that these groups, increasingly isolated from the people due to the BNP's growing popularity, have resorted to personal attacks and the spread of false information instead of engaging in healthy political competition.
The 'architect' of reforms
Addressing the debate over state reforms, Mahdi Amin described the BNP as the "bearer" of reformists.
He remarked that it is "astonishing" to see "new reformers" – who remained silent during the years of fascist rule – now criticising the sole political party which has consistently campaigned for structural changes.
Mahdi reminded that the BNP had presented its Vision-2030 in 2016, followed by a 27-point state reform proposal in 2022 and an even more comprehensive 31-point outline in 2023.
He highlighted that BNP was the first to propose a bicameral parliamentary system and a two-term limit for the prime minister's tenure.
He also noted that back in 2014, Tarique Rahman had advocated for a 5% quota to encourage a merit-based recruitment system.
Mahdi reiterated the party's firm stance in favour of a "Yes" vote in the upcoming referendum on state reforms to ensure a democratic and accountable state.
BNCC and observer bias
BNP also voiced strong objections to the decision to deploy Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) members for election duties.
The nationalist party argues that since many cadets are college and university students with their own political ideologies or affiliations, their involvement could undermine the neutrality of the polls.
Mahdi clarified that a formal letter has already been sent to the Election Commission (EC) requesting a reversal of this decision to ensure a free and fair environment.
Furthermore, the spokesperson raised questions regarding the concentration of election observers.
While the EC has approved 55,454 local observers from 81 organisations, the BNP noted that 34,442 of them – more than half – come from just 16 agencies.
He alleged that the leadership of several of these organisations is linked to a "specific political party", raising fears that they might be used for ulterior motives on election day.
To ensure a level playing field, BNP demanded that the EC verify the complete list of observers through state agencies to remove partisan individuals and candidates' associates.
BNP also urged the EC to reduce the number of observers from agencies with limited experience and to issue a directive ensuring that no more than two local observers are simultaneously present at each polling centre.
