Engineer Ishraque Hossain, a member of the BNP’s International Affairs Committee, has stated that no candidate from the National Citizen Party (NCP) will be able to win in the upcoming election. “There is no constituency in Bangladesh where an NCP candidate will win. That’s why they are conspiring to delay the election under the guise of promoting the Proportional Representation (PR) system,” he said.
He made these remarks during a brief rally preceding a torch procession held in protest of derogatory comments against BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman and the deteriorating law and order situation across the country under the indifference of the interim government.
The event took place on Sunday (July 20) evening in Nayabazar, Dhaka. The procession began at Nayabazar intersection and marched through Tantibazar, Gulistan, and Paltan before concluding in front of the BNP central office at Nayapaltan.
Ishraque Hossain said, “The souls of the July martyrs are in pain today, because none of them imagined that our sacrifices would awaken someone’s greed for power.”
He continued, “Every individual has the right to freedom of speech. But that does not mean one can violate another’s rights or socially defame them. The NCP is making disrespectful remarks, and that is not democracy. The indecent comments made by Nasiruddin Patwary about BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed in Cox’s Bazar must be withdrawn. Otherwise, like in Chakaria, the people across the country will reject them.”
The BNP leader also said, “Whenever anything happens in the country, NCP and Jamaat blame BNP. But they know very well that if a fair election is held, BNP will win by popular vote. That’s why they’re continuously coming up with irrational demands to postpone the election.”
Read More: Facebook Deletes 10 Million Fake Accounts in Global Purge to Promote Original Content
He criticized attempts to exploit the legacy of the July martyrs for political gain, asking, “How many NCP-Jamaat activists were actually martyred during the July movement? NCP leaders themselves know that Tarique Rahman supervised the movement from behind the scenes, and BNP, along with its student and youth wings, were at the forefront of the sacrifices. Yet today, out of sheer greed for power, they have forgotten everything. Worse, they are now shamelessly spreading lies about the pride of youth, Tarique Rahman.”
He further said, “When three BNP members were killed in an attack by Awami League terrorists in Gopalganj, where was the outrage? Why was the state machinery silent? And now, who will take responsibility for the five lives lost during the NCP’s recent rally?”
Ishraque Hossain also mentioned ongoing incidents in Muradnagar, Cumilla, saying, “Everyone is aware of what our advisor Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan is facing there. Killings are happening one after another. As soon as a murder occurs, fingers are pointed at BNP without investigation. But when it’s later revealed that a new party is involved, the media goes silent. The oppression that BNP leaders and activists in Muradnagar are facing now is worse than what they faced even during the Awami League era.”
