Hasnat accuses BNP leaders of acting as 'Awami League beneficiaries'
Hasnat also claimed that the Election Commission has now become partisan and turned into a “party office”.
National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator (South) Hasnat Abdullah has accused several BNP leaders of acting as beneficiaries of the banned Awami League.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Election Commission building in the capital's Agargaon this afternoon (24 August), Hasnat said, "BNP has many Awami League affairs secretaries who are more Awami than the Awami League itself. One of them is Rumeen Farhana. They want to use muscle power to silence the Election Commission."
The NCP leader alleged that such BNP leaders are attempting to push Bangladesh toward another "prescriptive, stage-managed election".
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"People won't accept another orchestrated election. We want to remind these BNP leaders: understand the pulse of the people after 2024. Otherwise, the country will again face a crisis," he warned.
The press briefing came shortly after a scuffle broke out between BNP and NCP activists at the Election Commission auditorium during hearings on Brahmanbaria-2 and 3 constituencies.
Speaking at the briefing, Mohammad Ataullah, joint chief organiser of the NCP, alleged that he was physically obstructed from entering the hearing.
"They used hired goons to stop me. I was dragged from behind and pushed out of the gate. This was a deliberate attempt to attack me so that we could not present our arguments," he said.
He demanded a proper investigation into the incident.
"If justice is not served, I will demand the resignation of the chief election commissioner," Ataullah warned.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, BNP leader Barrister Rumeen Farhana said, "NCP representatives came to the Election Commission with thugs and goons and caused a disturbance. I was pushed.
"What the Awami League did not dare to do in the last 15 years, the NCP has shown today. I want justice from the Election Commission on this matter."
Hasnat also claimed that the Election Commission has now become partisan and turned into a "party office".
"Today, the entire nation has witnessed the incident. This has essentially demonstrated what the next election might look like, what role this Election Commission will play, what role the BNP will have in that election, and whether the police will act as mere spectators or take a certain role," he said.
Hasnat warned that if the EC fails to play a fair and neutral role, the NCP will demand its reconstitution.
Reiterating the demand for neutrality, he added, "The confidence we once had in this commission is gradually fading. We still do not know where the remote control of this Election Commission actually lies."
Meanwhile, the NCP has submitted a formal complaint letter to the Election Commission office over today's incident. The letter, signed by Ataullah and others, was addressed to the EC's senior secretary.
The letter states, "To this Election Commission, which stands on fascist black laws, we appeal for immediate criminal action to bring Rumeen Farhana and her terrorist group under the law, to take necessary steps to establish the commission as a genuine people's institution, and if you cannot remain neutral, then resign and allow competent individuals to take responsibility."
