Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said BNP made a significant amount of money by “nomination trade.”
He made the remark during a press conference at the party president’s political office in Dhanmondi Tuesday afternoon.
“Awami League also received reports that the campaigning BNP leaders received a portion of the money from nomination trade,” he said.
“555 people secured BNP candidacy, excluding the 141 applications rejected by the Election Commission. The rejected ones are either loan defaulters or convicted.
“Some senior leaders have even fled Dhaka. They are seeking votes from the very people whose money they have laundered.”
Claiming BNP has violated the code of conduct, he said: “No one should be running campaign before December 10. But the BNP leaders are constantly violating the code of conduct under Representation of the People Order
Saying that they have already sent complaints to the Election Commission regarding the violation of BNP’s code of conduct, he asserted: “Some of BNP’s senior leaders have been violating the code even though it is not allowed to hold campaigns before December 10.”
Responding to a BNP allegation that the government, in collaboration with the Election Commission, has launched a puppet show of canceling candidature, Quader said: “BNP’s nomination process itself was a puppet show. The commission serves as an independent authority.”
Pointing towards BNP’s acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman, Quader said: “BNP’s puppet master is pulling strings from London, whereas Dr Kamal Hossain is just a titular leader.”
Responding to BNP’s allegation that the Election Commission had not been playing fair and the government is not being cooperative to them, Obaidul Quader said: “This is a matter of the Election Commission; the government has nothing to do with it.
“When the commission is not on BNP’s side they will start making allegations, but if it declares that BNP will win the next election, they would feel it is being fair.”
Awami League Presidium member Dr Dipu Moni, Organizing Secretary Misbah Uddin Siraj, Science And Technology Affairs Secretary Md Abdus Sabur, Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, Organizing Secretary AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, and Executive Member SM Kamal Hossain, among others, were present during the press conference.
