Leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party yesterday alleged that sections of the civil administration were working in favour of a particular political party ahead of the upcoming election.
Jamaat leaders raised the allegation at a meeting of the party’s central executive council at its Moghbazar headquarters, while NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary echoed similar concerns at a rally at Dhaka University.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. At the meeting, chaired by Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, the party observed that conditions for a free, fair, and neutral election have yet to be established in the country.
“Allegations are coming in from different areas that some government officials within the administration are working in favour of a particular party. In various parts of the country, political leaders and activists are still being killed in broad daylight,” said a press release issued by Jamaat’s central publicity department.
The council said a “new Bangladesh” was achieved through the sacrifice of 1,500 martyrs and injuries to more than 30,000 protesters after 16 years of struggle against fascism, adding that it must not be allowed to “fall hostage to any conspiracy, plot, or group”.
The party demanded strict measures to ensure 100 percent neutrality of the administration and urged the Election Commission and law enforcement agencies to carry out their responsibilities without partisan bias.
Meanwhile, addressing a rally in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture, Nasiruddin alleged that the civil administration had begun “leaning towards a specific party, the BNP,” mirroring the partisan practices of the previous regime.
“When Tarique Rahman arrived in Bangladesh, we welcomed him. But we saw government officials leaving their offices to greet him by the roadside,” he said.
“We witnessed such activities during the Sheikh Hasina regime, and we do not want to see them in the current Bangladesh.”
Nasiruddin, a prospective parliamentary candidate for Dhaka-8, spoke after visiting the grave of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, the slain leader of Inqilab Moncho, beside the university’s central mosque. He expressed frustration that the killers of Hadi, who was gunned down last month in Dhaka, have yet to be traced.
Outlining his election plans, Nasiruddin said he would contest under the 11-party alliance Azadi Jote, using the NCP’s Shapla Koli (water lily bud) symbol.
He declared the Dhaka-8 constituency, comprising Ramna, Shahbagh, Motijheel, and Shahjahanpur, as well as the rest of the country, as “Azad Zones” (Free Zones).
Calling on people to resist extortion and corruption, he urged citizens to protect future generations. “If any individual or party attempts extortion or illegal occupation in these zones, arrest them raising the ‘Azadi’ slogan and hand them over to the administration,” he said.
He also warned authorities against siding with extortionists and terrorists, vowing to carry the movement for economic, political, and cultural freedom, born at Dhaka University, into parliament.