report in Prothom Alo, Jul 18,2023
Questions have arisen over the election commission giving registration to two unknown political parties, especially before the forthcoming parliamentary election. Questions have also arisen as to whether the constitutionally independent body is operating at the behest of the government.
A total of 93 parties submitted applications seeking registration from the EC. The EC decided to give registration to Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM) and Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP). The election commission published a release in this regard on Monday.
Many people are considering BNM and BSP as “King’s parties” as hardly any activity of the two parties is visible. There is unease at the election commission and among some of its officials, a source said.
Prothom Alo correspondents inquired about the two parties in eight districts headquarters and at the upazilas of the districts on Monday. There are offices of the two parties at many places but most of those are temporary. Some of the offices were rented by the local level leaders of the ruling party. There are allegations that some of the offices were rented by intelligence agency people. In many areas the committees of BNM has been constituted by the members of Awami League and Jatiya Party.
However, the reins of BNM belong to two former leaders of BNP. BNM’s convener professor Abdur Rahman is a former MP from BNP and member secretary Major (retd) Md Hanif is a former member of the party’s executive committee. BNM was constituted in 2021. BNP policy makers that time alleged that the government may have “conspiracies” in forming the party over next parliamentary election. There is discussion in political arena that some of the BNP leaders would be made candidates in the forthcoming 12th parliamentary election.
On the other hand, BSP chairman Syed Saifuddin Ahmed is also chairman of an Awami League leaning political alliance.
The two political parties are being given registration as part of strategies of the ruling party over the next polls. Such discussion is gaining momentum in the country’s political arena. Ten parties that did not get EC’s registration held a media conference jointly on Monday. They alleged that EC did not give registration to any other party except the two completely unknown parties at the behest of the government and advice of various agencies. This registration has been given with a view to break BNP, they also alleged.
EC denies allegation
The election commission, however, denied these allegations. Replying to query from journalists on this matter, commissioner Md Alamgir said the election commission does not function as per any intelligence agency’s instructions. The election commission is an independent institution. He mentioned whether there is any office, committee and members at districts and upazila as per the law has been investigated first. Another high level committee then verified this information. According to the reports of these two committees, only two parties fulfilled all criteria. As the remaining parties did not fulfill the criteria, they were not given the registration. He claimed there is no relation with the intelligence agency report and no intelligence agency report was sought either.
Asked why no activities of the two parties receiving registration is visible, Md Alamgir said, “There is no compulsion to show the activity of a party in the law. No registration will be given as per your preconceived notion. Registration will be given as per the law.”
On-the-spot visit
An office and a committee of BNM were found in Rajshahi and most of the party leaders came from Awami League and Jatiya Party. The member secretary of BNM’s Rajshahi district unit Md Shariful Islam was involved in the politics of Awami League earlier. He told Prothom Alo they have joined the new party after being deprived by Awami League.
It has been learned the upazila offices of BNM in Rajshahi’s BNM’s Bagmara and Charghat are located near the Awam League office. The Tanore office is mainly a coffee shop and, the BNM has opened here after renting a portion of the shop for the last two months. All 31 members of the party’s Tanore upazila unit committee including its president and general secretary were leaders at various level of Awami League. The upazila committee president Mominul Islam admitted all members of their committee were involved in politics of Awami League. On the other hand, leaders who came from Jatiya Party formed the committee of BNM’s Charghat upazila.
The Bagmara upazila office has opened near the office of Awami League’s Taherpur municipality unit. Locals said previously leaders of Juba Leagues sat at the small room near the Awami League office and the banner of BNM has been hanged on it.
Most of the 19-member committee in Kushtia are involved in gold business. Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, a local leader said three people from an agency came to them a couple of months ago and proposed that they orm this committee. Those people also assured them of providing financial support to run all party activities and paid Tk 9,000 in advance for office rent. People of that agency maintain a direct communication with the committee members. However, BNM’s Khustia unit convener Mostafa Kamal Farook told Prothom Alo he pays the rent of the Kushtia office.
A digital signboard of the BSP office was seen beside a motorcycle garage of the Mou Super Market in the Goyalchamot area of the city. The owner of the market is local Shramik League leader Akkas Hossain. The signboard was hanging outside his personal office.
Another office of the BSP is in the Uttarpara area of Radhaganj Bazar in Raipura upazila. Four teachers were seen teaching more than 50 fifth graders. They said that it is an educational institution named ‘Monmela’. The local children are taught here free of cost after school. The BSP president is a member of the family who took the initiative to establish this educational institution.
BNM’s district office is located in a small two-storey building right beside the main road of the Kazitula area of the Sylhet city. However, nobody comes here. So the office looks like an abandoned place. An US-expatriate is the owner of the building. His uncle Md Enam Uddin looks after the building. Amir Hossain Khan, a tenant of the building, rented a room on behalf of Enam to BNM.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said, “Two local contractors and a Sramik League leader rented the room to establish an office of a political party on 12 December last year. However, I haven’t seen any political activities here.”
The office of the newly formed Bangladesh Supreme Party’s Chattogram district unit is located on Maqbul Saudagar Lane near the Muni Pukur Parh area under the Panchlaish police station in the city.
Although it is the office of a political party’s district unit, the locals are unaware of it. Everyone recognised the building as ‘Maizbhandar Manjil’. BSP chairman Saifuddin Ahmad Maizbhandari resides in that building.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain said, “How can a political party, which we haven’t heard of and which is not involved in any political activity, fulfill all the tough conditions for registration? Again, there are parties who are active, but haven’t got the registration yet. So there are questions regarding these issues.”
The former election commissioner believes, “There will be suspicions if the Election Commission doesn’t clear ip these issues. It will have to disclose the information regarding the existing district and upazila offices mentioned by these parties in the registration form.”
https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/politics/jtnpauy9js
