No polls without caretaker, army deployment: Khaleda

 The BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, addresses a rally at Jessore Eidgah Maidan on Sunday on the concluding day of the party’s road march towards the southern part of the country. — New Age photo

Khadimul Islam and Saifur Rahman . Khulna

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Sunday said that national elections would not be accepted without a caretaker government and without deployment of army troops.

 ‘We will not accept any

vote under the Awami League government. National elections without a caretaker government and without deployment of army troops will not be allowed in the country,’ she told a huge rally at Khulna.

 Khaleda, also leader of the opposition in parliament, said that the country’s sovereignty was at stake and urged the Awami League-led government to step down if it was unable to take bold steps over the issue of the Tipaimukh dam.

 She reassured the government that her party would extend support if it takes a tough stance against the Tipaimukh dam. ‘If the government cannot drive a hard bargain, nobody would give the country anything,’ she said.

 She vowed not to allow any move to construct the controversial dam on the River Barak until a joint survey and technical assessment was conducted by Bangladesh and India at Tipaimukh.

 Khaleda wrapped up her third road march by holding a public rally on the Khulna Circuit House premises. She termed the large attendance at her rallies and wayside meetings ‘a sign of mass awakening’. ‘The mass awakening will turn into a popular uprising against the government,’ she hoped.

 The former prime minister urged the locals to build resistance against a joint-venture project with India for setting up of a coal-based power plant at Rampal in Bagerhat. ‘We [BNP and allies] and environmentalists will stand by you to stop the move for building the power plant which will threaten the biodiversity in Sundarban,’ she added..

 ‘The government should be ousted to save the country and democracy,’ she said, calling on the people to join the anti-government movement.

 Khaleda, addressing another rally in Jessore Eidgah Maidan, urged the people to decide whether they would oust the Awami League-led government or lose the country’s sovereignty.

 ‘The county will lose its independence and sovereignty if the Awami League government remains in power. The government is doing everything to turn Bangladesh into a province of India,’ she alleged.

 ‘The government is taking loan at high interests from the neighbouring country for construction of roads for transport of Indian transit goods, but no roads are being made for the people of the country,’ she said.

Khaleda said that the people were not ready to pay the interest on loans taken for the interest of another country. She urged the government to construct roads for development of the country by the money taken as loan from India.

 The BNP chief accused the government of politicising the judiciary, civil, military and police administrations and criticised it for axing a good number civil, military and police officers from jobs out of political vengeance.

 She said the BNP-led alliance, if voted to power, would reinstate those ‘illegally terminated’ by the government.

 Khaleda alleged that India was planning to transport heavy equipment through Akhaura for gas exploration and construction of the Tipaimukh dam.  ‘No such heavy equipment will be allowed to be transported through Akharua at our cost,’ she said.

 The BNP-led alliance organised the road mach aiming to mobilise public support for the opposition’s key demands, including restoration of the caretaker government system which was scrapped through the 15th Amendment to the Constitution in June this year.

 Senior leaders of BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Liberal Democratic Party and other components of the alliance also addressed the rallies.

 Khaleda began the road march on Saturday from the capital’s Uttara area. BNP and its allies set up hundreds of arches on the route of the march to welcome the leader of the opposition.

The convoy led by Khaleda began its journey on the second day from the Jessore Circuit House around 11:25am after staying there overnight. After the rally, the caravan went to Bagerhat where Khaleda offered fateha at Khan Jahan Ali’s shrine.  

She urged the government to take immediate steps for procurement of paddy and rice as the price of aman paddy had fallen drastically during the pick season of harvest.

She pledged to construct two bridges on the River Padma – one at the present site and another connecting Daulatdia and Paturia – if BNP was voted to power in the next polls.

People lined the road at places as the convoy headed for Khulna. They chanted slogans, clapped and showered petals as the caravan passed.

Khaleda led her first road march to Sylhet on October 10 and the second to Chapainawabganj on October 18.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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Police, polls official intervention in Ivy briefing

A team of police officers and election intervened officers on Sunday at Selina Hayat Ivy, a candidate mayoral candidate for the elections Narayanganj City Corporation, one held press conference on Sunday.

The press conference of Ivy

The Press Club of Narayanganj operation the police team under the direction of the SADAR began police officer-in-charge, MD aktar Hossain, SADAR shortly at noon and about half an hour later, election officer Rakibuzzaman and Assistant organiser for the society elections Mosleuddin in the Press Club and a heated exchange took.

Aktar Hossain and Rakibuzzaman, Ivy said that she had visited the site to information, there was a campaign code of conduct going against the electoral law.

"I to the venue of the press conference went as election officials asked to go there ourselves," said aktar new age.

Ivy briefing reporters on their position about the rumors, which widely used for a few days was, that link them or negotiations with the Bangladesh nationalist party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, so that she could win the elections.

She said she was the daughter of Ali Ahmed Chunka and she would never stop with the Awami League. "Other candidate on the rumors, disseminated", added to them.

She also told reporters that her father of President of the urban society was and she was elected as Chairman of ?????????? Mnicipal Corporation. 'I am city Awami League Vice President of the unit and now I'm mayoral candidate of City Corporation surveys.'

In reply to the question of the reporter, she said "I've never leave Narayanganj, and I will be in future by the inhabitants of the city."

For visiting the policemen and election officials and intervention in the press conference she said that it was clearly meant to thwart the citizens right to vote.

She demanded the army unwanted situations prevent deployment before the elections.

Head of administration and the head of the police are serves the purpose of Shamim Osman, and they are transmitted, if the elections free and fair must, Ivy said.

More on Bangali News | Source: newagebd.com

Narayanganj goes to polls today amid fear, doubt

  Election Commission officials, with the help of law enforcers, take ballot paper boxes to polling booths on the eve of the Narayanganj City Corporation polls scheduled for today. — Indrajit Ghosh

The newly formed Narayanganj City Corporation goes to polls for the first time today amidst fear and panic as the government did not make army deployment, which the Election Commission, major candidates and voters had demanded.

The Election Commission made all the preparations

to hold the polls with the deployment of additional Rapid Action Battalion personnel.

A total of 4,041,89 voters of the city corporation area will cast their vote in 163 polling stations, of which 127 are considered risky, between 8:00am and 4:00pm, to elect their representatives.

Six candidates are contesting the elections for the mayoral position, 252 for 27 positions of councillors for 27 wards and 56 women for nine positions of councils in reserved seats.

The ruling Bangladesh Awami League-backed Shamim Osman, with the symbol of wall clock, Awami League leader Selina Hayat Ivy with the symbol of pen and inkpot, the BNP-backed Taimur Alam Khandakar with the symbol of pineapple, Islami Andolan leader Atikur Rahman Nannu Munsi with the symbol of bullock cart and independent candidates Sharif Mohammad with the symbol of duck and Atikul Islam Jibon with the symbol of padlockare contesting the elections.

The government’s non-compliance with the Election Commission’s requisition for army deployment to keep law and order during the polls has made most of the city dwellers doubtful and worried about the polls being held in a free and fair manner.

Many of them though that the government had not deployed the army in compliance with the Election Commission’s requisition only to pave the way for the win of Shamim.

Shamim’s repeated claims that there would be militant attacks on the city before the polls have multiplied the worries of voters.

The voters, however, said that they would go to the polling stations setting aside all fears.

Selina Hayat Ivy and Taimur Alam Khandoker called on the voters to go to the polling stations braving all odds to resist all ‘conspiracies to snatch way the polls result.’

‘People have started saying that the vote has already been cast,’ Sukumar Ghosh, a shopkeeper on Bangabandhu Road, expressed his worries before New Age on Saturday.

Many people were seen expressing such an apprehension as the polling was nearing.

Asked whether he was feeling free to go the polling stations on the polling day, Niaz Rahman, who works with a private organisation, at Chashara said, ‘It would have been better if the army had been deployed.’

‘Panic has gripped many of the voters as to what will happen on the polling day,’ he said.

The Election Commission and the Rapid Action Battalion, however, dispelled voter’s fears about security and fairness of the elections after the non-deployment of the army and advised voters to cast their vote without fear.

The returning officer, Biswas Lutfor Rahman, at a press conference at the Shaheed Zia Hall on Saturday called on the voters to go to the voters without any fear.

‘There is no reason to be panicked about casting vote for your candidate as stringent measures have been taken to keep law and order,’ he said.

‘Please do not get panicked. Go to the polling centres without any fear and return home after casting your vote,’ Lieutenant Colonel Mostafa, commanding officer of RAB 11, said at a press briefing at Narayanganj Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday.

He told reporters that 1,000 battalion personnel had already been deployed in Narayanganj, adding that 400 more personnel would join them before the voting would begin on Sunday morning.

Battalion personnel in plain clothes will also be on duty, the officer said.

The Election Commission completed all its measures to ensure the holding of the elections in a free and fair manner. Electronic voting machines, ballot papers and other necessary documents and equipment have already bent sent to Narayanganj.

Apart from some 1,000 personnel of regular forces of Narayanganj, some 7,000 more personnel of different law enforcement agencies, including Rapid Action Battalion, the police and Ansars would be deployed.

Although it was earlier decided that some 5,000 more law enforcers would be deployed, the commission, following its failure to deploy the army, decided to increase the number of law enforcers.

Some 4,000 policemen, 2,500 Ansar-VDP personnel, 100 coast guards and a dog squad and a bomb disposal squad will be on duty to keep law and order.

The Election Commission has termed ‘important’ the 131 polling stations, not saying risky, and decided to deploy 26 law enforcers at each of them while 22 law enforcers at other polling stations.

Rejecting the requests of the two out of three heavyweight candidates, the commission is using electronic voting machines in 57 polling stations in nine out of the 27 wards of the city corporation for which it will need 450 devices.

A total of 1,48,629 voters of Ward 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23 and 24 will cast their vote in 450 polling booths by using EVMs.

An election official said that the commission had already set up closed-circuit television cameras at 20 polling centres to monitor possible irregularities during polling.

Apart from 1,217 polling booths, there is one temporary polling centre with 50 booths.

The candidates ended their electioneering at midnight past Friday by only holding indoor meetings, roadside rallies and door-to-door campaigns to seek vote as no procession or rally was allowed during electioneering.

The Election Commission imposed a ban on the movement of outsiders in the election area from October 28, except for those who would have urgent tasks there.

A team of 27 executive magistrates and three judicial magistrates would keep watch on the polling as the 36 mobile court will be on patrol on the polling day. 

Apart from 163 presiding officers, 1,217 assistant presiding officers and 2,434 polling officers will be engaged in holding the polls.

Nobody will be allowed to use mobiles in and around the polling stations. All banks, educational institutions and business establishment will remain closed for the day.

The Election Commission has estimated that Tk 6 crore will be spent on holding the elections.

A huge number of reporters would cover the event. Two hundred and thirty-seven election observers of 26 local and international bodies will observe the polling.

Narayanganj, the country’s seventh city corporation, was set up on May 5 by merging Narayanganj, Kadam Rasul and Siddhirganj municipalities.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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BNP boycotts NCC polls

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Staff Correspondent

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party in an eleventh-hour press briefing in Dhaka announced that it would boycott the Narayanganj city polls, saying it had withdrawn support for Taimur Alam Khandakar.

Immediately after the announcement, BNP-backed candidate Taimur in another press briefing in Narayanganj said he would not be in the mayoral race.

The decision came with only a few hours for the Narayanganj City Corporation polls to begin.

‘No army has been deployed. Voters have been threatened in their houses. In such a situation, we had no option but to reject the farcical move of election,’ Abdullah Al Noman told journalists at a press briefing at the party chairperson’s office.

The after-midnight announcement followed a meeting among senior BNP leaders and legal experts at the party chief’s Gulshan office, where both the BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, and its acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were absent.

The party standing committee members, Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain, MK

Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Mia, vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman, party chief’s adviser Khondkar Mahbub Hossain and other senior lawyers were present at the meeting.

At a hurriedly arranged briefing at around 12:45am on Sunday, the party’s vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman

made the announcement of Taimur’s quitting the race.

Soon after the BNP’s press briefing, Taimur Alam Khandakar in his Narayanganj residence made similar statement and demanded resignation of the election commissioners, terming the Election Commission a ‘puppet’ as it continued with the polls process even after accusing the government of violating the constitution by not deploying army in the polls.

The BNP earlier on the day said their candidate would continue being in the race, even after non-deployment of the army, to ‘unmask’ the government and the Election Commission.

‘We were ready to contest the polls knowing that it would not be held in a free and fair manner and we also informed you of our position in the morning. But since the afternoon, situation changed rapidly leaving no way for us but to quit the race,’ Noman told the briefing last night.

‘The entire situation in Narayangaj has changed since after Saturday noon and the town went in the grip of ruling party goons. Known and unknown goons are roaming around at the direct patronisation of the administration and they had started threatening the electorates going door to door,’ he said.

‘In such a situation, we had no option but to reject farcical move of election,’ he said.

Earlier, BNP lawmaker AM Mahbub Uddin Khokan sent a legal notice to the prime minister’s principal secretary, the secretary of defence ministry and the secretary of home ministry, asking them to inform why he would not resort to the court to get justice when the administration refused to deploy army in Narayanganj.

A vice-chairman of the party, Abdullah Al Noman criticised the Election Commission saying, ‘The chief election commissioner said the government violated the constitution by not deploying the army. Why are you then holding the polls?’ he asked.

Citing Article 126 of the constitution, Noman said as in accordance with the article the government was obliged to extend all support to the Election Commission during any polls and the deployment of troops was part of that.

‘It is a clear violation of the constitution not to deploy the army after formal requisition from the commission. Now the question is whether the commission has the right to hold the polls,’ he said.

He also questioned the ‘contradictory’ statements of the chief election commissioner, who had said that army would not be deployed and he would not take the responsibility of any violence in the polls.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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No troops in NCC polls

  An official oversees as cartons of ballot papers are unloaded from a vehicle at the Zia Hall at Chashara in Narayanganj on Friday.— Sony Ramany

Ivy, Taimur smell rat, demand immediate deployment of army

Staff Correspondent

No troops have yet been deployed for the Narayanganj City Corporation polls, scheduled for Sunday, because of the ‘non-cooperation’ of the government.

The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, at a briefing at the Election Commission on Friday said, ‘In order to hold free and fair elections to the city corporation, we had a plan under which army troops were supposed to be deployed there on Friday but no troops were deployed yet presumably because of the non-cooperation of the government.’

He said that the commission on October 16 had decided to deploy troops and sent a letter the same day to

the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division asking for four companies of troops for the city polls.

‘We have received no reply from the army till 5:00pm today [Friday]. We may assume that the government has issued no order for army deployment and also presume that the army is not coming,’ Shamsul told reporters after a four-hour emergency meeting of the commission.

Four companies of troops were originally scheduled to be stationed in Narayanganj at 6:00am on Friday as ‘striking and mobile force.’

The returning officer for the NCC polls, mayoral candidates but for the ruling Awami League-backed Shamim Osman expressed concerns about the non-deployment of the army.

The returning officer, Biswas Lutfor Rahman, told reporters Friday noon, ‘I am deeply concerned about the delay in army deployment.’

Two out of three heavyweight candidates — Awami League leader Selina Hayat Ivy and Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed Taimur Alam Khandoker — smelt a rat in the commission’s failure to deploy the army and termed it a ‘conspiracy’ to influence the elections.

They demanded an immediate deployment of troops to ensure free and fair polls.

Supporters of Taimur took to the streets in Narayanganj demanding an immediate deployment of troops.

The police dispersed a procession of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the BNP-backed student organisation, by charging at the activists with truncheons when they tried to go on demonstrations on Bangabandhu Road at 7:00pm in protest at the commission’s announcement of not deploying troops.

The BNP vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman at a briefing at the party’s central office in Dhaka in the evening said the party would make a decision today regarding the elections if the troops were not deployed by this morning.

The Election Commission considers the non-deployment of army to be a violation of the constitution.

‘It was a constitutional obligation for the government to deploy troops as we asked for it,’ Shamsul said. ‘We do not have any liability in this regard. We took steps and send requisition, but the government paid no heed to it. I do not know whether this is the government’s negligence but it has given no reply to our letter.’

After failing to get any positive response regarding troops deployment, the commission had thought about two alternatives — to suspend the elections or to proceed with the elections considering the absence of the army, he added.

He also said that according to the law, elections to the city corporations need to be held in 180 days after the formation of the corporation and the time limit ends on November 2.

‘We have informed the Rapid Action Battalion director general and the home ministry and they have confirmed that a 100-member additional force would be sent tomorrow [Saturday],’ he added.

Regarding Shamim Osman’s apprehension of terrorist attack, the CEC said the candidate had sent a letter and also filed a general diary in this regard.

‘We have asked the home ministry to investigate the matter and to report to us in seven days. If the allegation is proved wrong, action will be taken against him in accordance with the rules, he said. ‘His candidature may be cancelled even if he is elected.’

By-elections to the Habiganj 1 constituency and the Brahmanbaria 3 constituency were held on January 27 without the deployment of troops although both the Election Commission and the BNP had so demanded.

Just a day before the polls, election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain in the presence of another election commissioner, M Sakhawat Hussain, told the media that that the army might be deployed at night, a couple of hours before the polls would begin. But no troops were deployed.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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Nothing final on polls process, says Suranjit

Awami League advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta on Friday said nothing was final on how the next elections would be conducted and the door would remain open for discussions on the issue till the last moment.

He also called on the opposition to return to parliament and place their arguments in support of their demands ‘instead of waging a war against the people.’

‘Nothing is final; the door is open and will remain open till the last moment for discussion,’ he said at a discussion on ‘The Caretaker Government and Today’s Reality’ at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the afternoon.

Suranjit said it was too early to say how the next elections would be conducted and hoped that the opposition, which was boycotting parliament, would agree to hold discussions on the issue.

‘Going ahead of time is good but it may sometimes bring trouble. If we start discussing right now about things which will happen after two years, it might bring trouble. But I am sure they will come for discussion,’ he said, reciting a line from Tagore: ‘Samay Jedin Asibey Aponi Jaibo Tomar Kunje’ (I will visit your place when time comes).

He said the Awami League

government had shown ‘an extreme level of tolerance’ at every stage while amending the constitution and scrapping the provision of caretaker government.

‘The summary of the court ruling was that the provision of caretaker government was against the constitution and we just abided by it. We had invited them for discussion but the opposition leader refused on advice from a “famous barrister” fearing their attendance would give legitimacy to the amendment. Now she is threatening to wage a war,’ Suranjit told the discussion organised by Suchinta Foundation.

Jurist M Zahir called on both the ruling and opposition parties to reach a consensus to avoid a possible catastrophe. ‘Both the parties need to change their minds first,’ he said.

He said he had opposed the idea of caretaker government since it was proposed.

Referring to his opinion given to the court as amicus curiae in the case on the caretaker government, Zahir said he had suggested formation of an interim administration with representation of both the ruling and opposition parties which would only carry out day-to-day affairs.

He laid stress on a transparent electoral roll and strong Election Commission for holding fair polls. ‘Before the end of the government’s tenure, the Election Commission should go from door to door with representatives from the ruling and opposition parties and check the electoral roll,’ he said.

He lamented that the court had given a positive ruling but it failed to provide a full judgment yet.

Former chief of army staff Harun-or-Rashid questioned the demand of the opposition leader for a caretaker government. ‘Does a caretaker government guarantee fair elections? Were the elections of 1996, 2001 and 2008 fair? If so, why you are out of parliament now? Why had you brought the allegation of vote rigging?’

He laid stress on strengthening the Election Commission so that the government could not influence it. He cited the instance of former Indian chief election commissioner TN Seshan.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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