Dr Mahdi Amin, adviser to the BNP chairman and spokesperson for the party’s Election Management Committee, has said the arrest of the Thakurgaon district Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ameer with a large sum of money at Saidpur Airport cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident.
Speaking at a press briefing at the BNP’s election management office in Gulshan, Dhaka, on Wednesday afternoon, Mahdi described the matter as “clear violation of the electoral code of conduct” and “evidence of moral bankruptcy and unethical influence” of what he termed a “publicly rejected party.”
He said that with banks and financial institutions suspending operations to prevent illegal financial transactions during the election period, the purpose for which a district-level leader was carrying such a substantial amount of cash must be thoroughly investigated.
Mahdi questioned why such a large sum was being transported despite the closure of business establishments, adding that it does not require an expert to understand the implications. He maintained that the incident at Saidpur Airport cannot be regarded as an isolated occurrence.
He further alleged that attempts to collect bKash account numbers to offer financial inducements, as well as claims of “selling tickets to heaven,” have been rejected by ordinary voters.
Describing the election as a symbol of safeguarding independence and sovereignty, Amin called on people across the country to join what he described as the BNP’s growing wave of popularity.