BNP leader Ishraque Hossain has demanded the registration of the Aam Janata Dal, expressing solidarity with its Member Secretary Tarique Rahman, who has been on a hunger strike to press the demand.
“I strongly demand the registration of his party,” Ishraque said while expressing solidarity with Tarique’s hunger strike in front of the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital’s Agargaon on Sunday.
“The party of a person accused of embezzling thousands of crores of taka has been given registration, but Tarique Rahman’s party has not. If his party is denied registration, the reports of the parties that received approval should be made public,” Ishraque added.
He said he came to stand beside Tarique as a “fellow fighter” and called for immediate registration of the Aam Janata Dal.
When asked about Tarique Rahman’s allegation that his party was denied registration due to objections from two student advisers, Ishraque said: “I will not deny it. Tarique Rahman has always been a strong critic of the government, and that could be a reason.”
On Tuesday, the Election Commission decided to grant registration to three new parties — National Citizen Party (NCP), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Marxist), and Bangladesh Aamjangan Party — pending public objections. However, Aam Janata Dal was excluded from the list.
Following the decision, Tarique Rahman began a hunger strike in front of the EC building in Agargaon, which entered its 125th hour on Sunday.
