Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) mayoral candidate for Awami League and former Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton has said election results will be determined by the masses.
“As I have said earlier, and I say now: whatever the results are, I will accept them,” he said. “The opposition should have a similar mentality. But whenever BNP candidates win, the election is fair, and when they lose, it is skewed.”
Liton made the comments in a press briefing held at the Rajshahi Awami League headquarters on Saturday afternoon.
He further said whenever any election is held in Bangladesh, BNP complains of it being unfair and the Election Commission’s unwillingness to conduct a fair election.
“The people of Rajshahi have become irritated hearing these claims,” Liton said. “Even before participating, they complain of a lack of ‘level playing field’.”
Khairuzzaman Liton said he started having fears ever since BNP central leader Dulu came to Rajshahi.
“After he came, there was a cocktail explosion in the BNP’s own publicity campaign,” said Liton. “They set the explosion themselves. Their leader was arrested after an audio was leaked about the incident.”
Liton stated that the BNP had spread false rumours about him abolishing the slums around the Padma river and the railway lines if he is elected mayor. “Where our leader Sheikh Hasina is building houses for the landless, why would we abolish the slums? We did not do anything like that in the past, and we will not do anything similar in the future either,” he said.
On the other hand, his government would try working for the development of the people by increasing the area extent of Rajshahi and creating town privileges for those living in the villages.
Liton promised to create employment opportunities for one lakh youth in Rajshahi through industrialization. “We will establish an agricultural university,” he said. “Gas connection will reach every household.”
In reply to reporters’ questions, Liton said BNP has been spreading false propaganda ever since the start of the official campaigning for Rajshahi city polls.
“We do not need the help of law enforcement agencies,” he said. “People are already rallying behind the boat symbol. We hope Awami League will win.”
Liton said BNP was blaming Awami League because of their own lack of polling agents. “They lacked agents during the Gazipur and Khulna city polls, and they lack agents here as well,” he said.
He said BNP has been making false allegations because their mayoral candidate Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul does not have any support due to party conflicts internally.
Hoping for a fair and free election, Liton said the Rajshahi city polls will witness 70-80% vote casting.
Rajshahi Municipality Awami League General Secretary Dablu Sarker, President of the Chapainawabganj district Awami League and Chairman of union council Mainuddin Mandal, Rajshahi Municipality Deputy Secretary Mir Ishtiaque Ahmed Limon, and others were present during the press briefing.
After the press briefing, Liton attended a views exchange program of the Barisal division at the Partypoint Restaurant. He requested voters from the Barisal division to vote for his symbol.
“There are a lot of people from Barisal in Rajshahi, and they have become a part of Rajshahi,” he said. “I request everyone to cast their vote for my symbol for the greater development of Rajshahi.”
Among others, Barisal division community President Shahidul Islam and General Secretary Zahidul Islam also spoke at the program.
Liton said that due to the BNP mayor’s failure, the once-clean Rajshahi has turned into a dirty town. The people of Rajshahi want a change, he said.
He asked for everyone’s cooperation in his dreams to build a better Rajshahi in the future.
AL files complaints against BNP for spreading false propaganda
Two complaints were filed with the Boulia police station for posting a false Facebook status about BNP mayoral candidate Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul getting shot in his legs.
Rajshahi Municipality Law Advisor Advocate Musabbirul Islam made the complaints, accusing Jatiyabadi Chhatra Dal President of Patharghata Hasan Al Baker and Badiuzzaman Shahed.
According to the complaint, around 6am on July 26, Badiuzzaman and Hasan had posted separately about Bulbul getting shot in the leg along with an alleged photo of Bulbul alongside the status.
Two witnesses Awami League Central Executive committee member SM Kamal Hossain and Maniruzzaman Sheikh Rahul informed Musabbirul of the status having read it.
The status attacked the sentiments of the general people of Rajshahi by spreading false propaganda against Awami League candidate AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, said the complainant.
Speaking on the topic, Senior Assistant Commissioner and representative of Rajshahi Municipality Police representative Iftekhar Alam said: “We have accepted the complaints. Whether they will be recorded as cases or not will be based on the ensuing investigations.”