Calling voters using loudspeakers by police a great joke: Abbas

BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas on Wednesday said it was a great joke that law enforcers were calling voters to cast their votes as dogs were sleeping at the voting centres during by-polls to Brahmanbaria-2 seat.

“By-elections are being held (Wednesday) in various seats, including Brahmanbaria-2. There has been no voters in the polling station since morning. The media are saying three/four dogs are sleeping at a centre in Brahmanbaria,” he said.

In a brief address prior to inaugurating their party’s fourth march programme, the BNP leader said, “Allah saves us as the dogs have no right to vote…I have just got the news that the police are urging voters to come to the polling station using loudspeakers. I have never heard such a great joke in my life.”

The by-polls to the six parliamentary seats — left vacant after BNP MPs resigned —were held amid some stray incidents on Wednesday.

The six constituencies are: Thakurgaon-3, Bogura-4 and 6, Chapainawabganj-2, 3 and Brahmanbaria-2. Advocate Abdus Sattar who resigned from the Brahmanbaria-2 seat contested the by-polls. BNP leaders alleged that the government was playing various tricks to ensure the victory of Sattar, who was expelled from the party.”

Leaders and activists of BNP's Dhaka South City unit marched towards the capital's Malibagh from Kamalapur Stadium, ending the party’s 4-day programme to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.

Mirza Abbas formally inaugurated the programme in front of Bir Shrestha Shaheed Sipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur around 3:25 pm. The march ended at Malibgah Bazar after parading over nearly a five-kilometre stretch of the road via Mugda and Khilgaon.

This was the fourth and last such programme of BNP, as the party's Dhaka north city unit marched from Badda to Malibagh on Saturday and the Dhaka south city unit marched from Jatrabari to Jurain on Monday and North City unit marched from Gabtoli to Mirpur on Tuesday.

Abbas urged the government to quit power for holding a credible election under a carter government.

He said the caretaker government was the main demand of the Awami League and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in 1996. “The Prime Minister at that time wanted the caretaker government for life. But they can’t keep their words,” he observed.

The BNP leader said the government has become scared of losing power even seeing a silent march of the BNP. “The fall of this regime is impending and their days are numbered.”

He also said their march is an advanced funeral procession of the current government.

Abbas slammed the government for increasing the power tariff just 19 days after the previous hike.

He said the current ‘fascist and monstrous’ regime must be removed from power to ensure the welfare of the people and protect the country from misrule.