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BNP gave up hopes in CCC polls, unleashed violence: Hasan
DHAKA, Jan 28, 2021 (BSS) – Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud
today said BNP gave up hopes at the end of the Chattogram City
Corporation (CCC) polls and were sitting at home though the party took
part in the polls and unleashed violence on the day.
“BNP carried out attacks in different places, damaged EVMs and
injured many persons, including the son of Awami League city unit
publicity secretary, on the polls day. In another incident, a brother
killed his sibling, but BNP was not in the field to make the polls
competitive,” he said.
The minister told newsmen after exchanging views with the newly
elected executive committee members of Bangladesh Photo Journalists
Association (BPJA) at the meeting room of his ministry at the
secretariat.
Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary, said the
allegations of BNP are stereotyping and to cover up their shame.
Actually, when no one knows how to dance, they say that the yard is
crooked and BNP is also saying like that, he added.
He said many polls agents of BNP didn’t go in many centers, but
they (BNP) have raised an allegation that their agents were ousted
during the election. “If the agents didn’t go in the centers then how
they will be ousted?” he posed a question.
The minister said some untoward incidents took place in the local
government elections in the country which was also held at different
states including in West Bengal of the neighboring India. Even, 19
persons were killed during the Kolkata City Corporation and Panchayet
polls in 2018, said Hasan.
The minister said electoral meeting of BJP candidate Rupa Ganguly
was attacked during Kolkata city polls and she (Rupa) took shelter in
a house. But no such incident happened in the polls here, he added.
About the low voter turnout, he said, it was due to the prevailing
COVID 19 situation and it was not appropriate for hopping the presence
of huge voters in this situation. In fact, BNP didn’t win the
Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) polls after 1994, he added.
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Hasan said BNP nominated Manjurul Alam Manju won the CCC polls in
2010 which was without party symbol and he (Manju) went there to play
as ‘hire player’.
He said Manju did politics of AL in his whole life and he formed a
foundation after the name of Bangamata and run a school. For this,
many activists of AL worked in favour of him in that polls, he added.
In reality, the minister said, they (BNP) didn’t get victory after
1994, and even no councilor nominated by the party gets victory this
time.
Replying to a query about COVID-19 vaccine, the information
minister said, “I don’t know about my position in getting vaccine on
priority basis. As the persons who are older than 55 years would get
the vaccine at first and then I would get the vaccine.”
“The prime minister told that people will take the vaccine at first
and we will take later. I think that, after the masses, the persons
who are considered as frontline fighters would get the vaccine at
first as they have right to get it (vaccine).”
About the nature of photo journalists’ tasks, the minister said
perfection comes when pictures are added to the news. The way
photographers capture an event or moments of life is an extraordinary
evidence of times, he added.
Many pictures taken by photographers during the liberation war,
independence movement or the partition earlier have become timeless,
said Hasan.
BPJA president Golam Mostafa and general secretary Kazal Hazra spoke
on the occasion.
BPJA vice presidents Nasim Sikdar and Yeasmin Babul, joint
secretaries Jiban Amir and Sheikh Hasan, treasurer Moin Uddin Ahmed,
organizing secretary Indrajit Kumar Ghose, publicity secretary Mobarak
Hossain, sports secretary Rafiq Uddin Anaeyt, office secretary Abdul
Aziz Faruqui, executive members Jahidul Islam, Md Harun-or-Rashid
Rubel, Jahidul Islam Sajal and Abdullha Al Momin, among others, were
present in the meeting.
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