Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Mia Golam Parwar on Sunday alleged that the large-scale transfers across the civil and police administration ahead of the national polls aimed at ‘bringing a particular group to power’.
‘A certain group is hatching a conspiracy to bring someone to power and as part of that plot, deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, upazila nirbahi officers and officers-in-charge of different police stations are being transferred arbitrarily,’ he said, alleging that the move was destroying the administration.
The Jamaat leader’s allegations came while he was addressing a divisional rally in Rajshahi city on Sunday.
Jamaat and its seven allies organised the rally at Madrassah Maidan in the city to press for their five-point demand, including holding the next national polls under the Proportional Representation system and the proposed referendum before the national election.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islami Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party, and the Bangladesh Development Party are demanding the referendum before the elections.
Alleging that there was no level playing field in the country, Golam Parwar warned that no neutral election could take place under the present circumstances.
‘I tell the home adviser and the chief adviser, “ensure a level playing field. Treat all parties equally. Do not favour any party or dream of secretly installing one in power. Remember that no conspiracy, not even from Delhi, could stop the fall of fascism,’ he said.
The Jamaat leader also said that if the incumbent government wanted fascism to take rebirth through vote rigging, the masses would resist it with their blood.
‘Let me warn the election commissioners, DCs, SPs and judges: those who staged vote robbery in the 18 and 24 elections and installed Hasina landed in jail. Police chiefs wept in court. Religious leaders were dragged through trials. If anyone tries to install someone else through rigged voting, will face the same consequences,’ he said.
Criticising the government’s ‘failure’ to improve the law and order situation, Golam Parwar said that two people leaving the court premises after a hearing were attacked, shot, hacked and killed in broad daylight in the court compound in Khulna on Sunday.
‘In a country where such killings in broad daylight happen in front of the court, who can guarantee that there will be no vote robbery or murder on election day? Who can guarantee that they won’t snatch our right to vote?’ he asked.
Iterating their demand for holding the referendum before the national elections, Golam Parwar said that the interim government, influenced by certain individuals within it, had announced the elections and referendum to be held on the same day.
‘We don’t want to push the government into an unnecessary crisis. We don’t want the dream of a new Bangladesh, earned through much bloodshed, to collapse,’ he said.
‘We again urge: change the referendum date. Otherwise you will create confusion, voter turnout will fall, referendum votes will decline, people will stamp ‘yes’ or ‘no’ without proper grasp of the matter,’ he further said, stressing that the government must take responsibility for resolving this crisis.
The Jamaat leader also said that their allies would grow as many more parties were contacting them to join.
‘Through expanding the eight-party allies, we want to take a message of change to every village of Bangladesh,’ stated the Jamaat leader.
Among others, Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-amir Professor Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh Development Party president and lawyer Anwarul Islam Chan, Islami Andolan Bangladesh nayeb-e-amir Mawlana Abdul Haq Azad, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party vice-president and spokesperson Rashed Prodhan, Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party senior nayeb-e-amir Abdul Majed Athar, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish nayeb-e-amir Abdul Hamid, Jamaat Dhaka south city amir Nurul Islam Bulbul, and Islami Andolan Bangladesh presidium member Ashraf Ali Akand also addressed the gathering with Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Mawlana Rafiqul Islam Khan in chair.
