Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday said that there was no question of violating the election code because of the party acting chairTarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to northern Bangladesh.
Speaking to reporters outside the BNP chair’s office at Gulshan, Salahuddin said that the four-day trip, scheduled before the start of the election campaign, was entirely personal and focused on religious, social, and humanitarian purposes.
According to the itinerary, Tarique would leave Dhaka on Sunday and return on January 14.
Without naming any party or leader, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s nayeb-e-amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher on Wednesday told reporters that the party was receiving news of certain leaders’ visits.
After a meeting with the chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, he said that there was no opportunity to conduct political tours or travel under one’s own banner or symbol before 21 January as stipulated by the election code.
Taher added that the matter had been taken to the attention of the CEC and they would observe how the Election Commission responded.
Responding to the Jamaat concern, Salahuddin said that some might view the visit differently, but it was intended to pay respects to the martyrs of the 2024 student uprising.
He said that the acting chair had planned the trip long ago, but various circumstances had delayed it.
Salahuddin further said that visiting the graves and offering tributes to the martyrs was in line with national expectations and no election code violation.
‘We view the matter from this perspective,’ he said, adding that the nation should honour the sacrifice of the 2024 student uprising and elevate their legacy at the national level.
Salahuddin said that if any party had complaints regarding the elections, including issues related to a level-playing field, they should submit the allegations to the Election Commission.
He hoped that the commission, together with the government, would address these concerns appropriately.
