Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, spokesperson of National Citizen Party (NCP) and chairman of the party’s election management committee, said, ‘BNP claims to be the bearer of democracy, the power of democratic politics. But we see in their activities, they have turned completely 180 degrees and are working against democracy, against the constitution of Bangladesh, against the existing laws of Bangladesh. The class of robbers who are participating in this election, who looted this country in different ways and took citizenship abroad, built houses, built mountains of property, now when the time of democracy has come, the time of election has come, they are planning to come to the country and participate in the election with that dual citizenship to become the people’s representative again.
He said these words at a press conference on Saturday evening at the temporary central office of NCP at Banglamotor in the capital. The press conference was organized to hear the election appeal of the party’s candidates and to inform about the general issues of the election.
Addressing the candidates with dual citizenship, Asif Mahmud said in the press conference, ‘If you want to be a public representative, then in the true sense, first become a single citizen of Bangladesh. We will not allow any foreigner to vote in Bangladesh. If the Election Commission tries to violate the constitution or validate their candidature out of jurisdiction, then we will fight the legal battle and take to the streets at the same time.’
The former adviser to the interim government complained that the Election Commission was ‘taking a one-sided position’ since the nomination papers were scrutinised.
During the hearing of the appeal on dual citizenship in the Election Commission today, there was an argument between BNP candidate of Feni-3 seat Abdul Awal Mintu and NCP candidate of Comilla-4 seat Abul Hasnat Abdullah.
Highlighting this incident, Asif Mahmud said in the press conference, ‘We have been giving maximum support to this Election Commission since the first day. Despite their many shortcomings, we are trying to give them time to fix them. But what happened today and what we are hearing about giving opportunity to foreign nationals to vote in Bangladesh through affidavit again tomorrow, we will not give them any chance.
This leader of the front line of the July coup warned, ‘Tomorrow if we see a debtor, a dual citizen getting the eligibility to vote, under any condition, through any interpretation, we will take to the streets against it. We will continue the legal fight against it later. We will in no way allow this Election Commission to organize a one-sided election and one-sided elections like the previous three Election Commissions.’
Criticizing the Election Commission and the candidates who want to participate in the upcoming elections, Asif Mahmud said, “Many of them are going to the Election Commission to bully despite having dual citizenship. Each is taking 200/300 people to the Election Commission. Hundreds of lawyers are being taken to put pressure on the Election Commission. I have seen a tendency of the Election Commission to legitimize them with various loopholes; Which is ominous for our country, for our country’s constitution, for electoral system and above all for democracy. We see this specifically in the case of BNP candidates.
