BNP Election Steering Committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin today questioned Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman’s invitation to party Chairman Tarique Rahman for a policy dialogue, alleging that the move was aimed at gaining attention on social media ahead of the polls.

Speaking at a press briefing at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, Mahdi Amin said the Jamaat ameer had tagged Tarique Rahman’s Facebook account in a post inviting him to join a policy discussion.

“I think posting something on Facebook and tagging Tarique Rahman’s account is a pretty catchy idea. Posting and tagging on Facebook two to three days before the election campaign might also be a way to go viral on social media. Tarique Rahman’s schedule will be fully packed in the next two days,” he said.

Referring to the timing of the invitation, he added, “BNP has been discussing its policies for a year now, and the people of the country are aware of that. Why is there a policy debate just before the election?”

“As far as I know, I haven’t seen any policy post by Jamaat’s ameer in the last 18 months. In fact, I haven’t seen any in the last 16 years either,” he said.

Mahdi Amin said BNP’s policies were developed through consultation and did not appear suddenly. “Every policy has its own story and a separate consultation process. But there has been no discussion about these over such a long period,” he said.

“Now, just before the election, these things are coming up. I think it would be better for us if everyone presents their policies and takes public opinion.”

He also criticised what he described as attempts at “election engineering”, citing alleged preparation of election stamps in Lakshmipur.

He raised concerns about the possible misuse of burqas and niqabs for casting fake votes.

“According to the law and regulations, faces should be uncovered for proper voter identification,” he said.

“We are receiving reports that a large number of burqas and niqabs are being prepared with the intention of using them for fake voting, misusing religious sentiments. In this context, we strongly urge the Election Commission to ensure that enough female polling officers are appointed at each voting centre.”

He noted that the Election Commission had already instructed that faces must be uncovered during voting for identity verification by female polling officials, similar to procedures followed during national ID card registration and photographs.

Mahdi Amin also alleged irregularities in the appointment of election observers.

“For example, an unknown organisation named the People’s Association for Social Advancement (PASA) has been allowed to appoint the most observers for the election. Among the 55,454 local observers, PASA alone has 10,559,” he said.