The National Citizen Party on Wednesday alleged that the current Election Commission had forfeited its constitutional legitimacy, accusing it of operating as a de facto office and a mouthpiece for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Calling for an urgent reconstitution of the EC before holding any elections, the NCP leaders warned that the interim government, entrusted with a blood-earned public mandate, must not compromise that trust by aligning with the interests of the BNP.
They made the remarks while addressing a protest rally in front of the Election Commission building in the city demanding the reconstitution of the EC and local government polls before the national election.
They also accused the BNP of illegally occupying government offices and using the offices as their own party outposts.
Addressing the rally, NCP chief coordinator Nasuruddin Patwary said that they would not participate in any elections until the reconstitution of the Election Commission.
He urged the government to free public institutions of BNP influence immediately. He said, 鈥楾he government cannot hand over the city corporation buildings to the BNP. It cannot allow the Election Commission to function as the BNP鈥檚 party office.鈥�
鈥業f you cannot free these institutions of BNP鈥檚 control, remove those who remain in the advisory council from the BNP immediately,鈥� he said.
Nasiruddin also alleged that the advisors aligned with the BNP, sitting in air-conditioned offices, were conspiring against the participants of the July uprising.
Describing three advisers of the interim government as BNP mouthpieces, he alleged that one was orchestrating a conspiracy from the courthouse, another from the finance ministry, and the third from the education ministry.
The NCP leaders alleged that adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud was working to undermine the education sector in Bangladesh, adviser Salehuddin Ahmed was damaging the country鈥檚 financial system and adviser Asif Nazrul was attempting to sink the law ministry.
Nasiruddin accused BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed of working under an 鈥業ndian prescription鈥� to impose a constitution with the ideology of Sheikh Mujib in Bangladesh.
He said that although the activities of the Awami League had been banned, the constitution, which he claimed upheld the ideology of Mujib, remained in effect.
鈥楾he NCP will launch a program to symbolically burn the constitution as a call to abolish it. There will be no Mujibist constitution in Bangladesh,鈥� Nasiruddin said.
He said that adviser Asif Nazrul had promised the people and students that he would issue the July declaration but he did not keep his word.
鈥榃e believed him once when he promised the students that he would issue the July declaration, but he betrayed us. We are trusting him again but if he betrays us this time, I do not know whether Asif Nazrul will be able to remain in Bangladesh,鈥� Nasiruddin said.