A Correspondent:
Jashore: BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has urged all to resist any attempt to delay vote counting, men-tioning that there is talk in the air that this time vote counting will take much longer.
“If anyone tries to take advantage by creating excuses that vote counting will take longer, you must resist it,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at an election rally in Jashore yesterday, which his first-ever political visit to the district.
He said, “Perhaps the people of this country couldn’t vote in the last decade. But it’s not that they have no experience of voting. They voted in 1991, in 1996 and in 2001. The people of Bangladesh have an idea of how much time vote counting takes. If anyone tries to take advantage by making excuse that vote counting will be delayed, you must resist it.”
Jashore district BNP organized the rally at Jashore Upashahar College ground. From morning, the rally venue, the adjacent Eidgah ground, Badsha Faisal School ground, and surrounding streets became crowded with BNP leaders, activists, supporters and the general people.
After addressing an election rally in Khulna in the morning, helicopter carrying Tarique Rahman on board landed near Upashahar College ground at 2:18 PM. He started his speech at 2:37 PM and spoke for 40 minutes.
During the rally, Tarique Rahman handed over the ‘Dhaner Shish’ (sheaf of paddy) symbol to 22 BNP candidates from seven districts- Jashore, Jhenaidah, Magura, Narail, Kushtia, Meherpur, and Chuadanga. Then he called upon everyone to ensure their victory.
Without naming any party, the BNP Chairman alleged, “They are now sending their people to mothers and sisters to collect NID and bKash numbers.”
“They claim they will establish honest governance. But this very proposal of yours is the most dishonest proposal. How do you think you can establish honest governance by starting work with a dishonest pro-posal,” he added.
The BNP Chairman said that political party is hell-bent on making the election controversial and ob-structing it. Regarding this, Tarique Rahman urged people from all walks of life to remain alert so that no one can conspire to snatch away the right to vote again.
While explaining his plans for rebuilding the country, Tarique Rahman also informed about some of his plans for the development of the country’s south-western region. He assured that if he is able to form government through people’s votes, steps would be taken so that flowers from Jashore could be exported for the benefits of growers. Also mentioning sugarcane cultivation in this region, he said initiatives would be taken to make the sugar mills operational.
Recalling the memory of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman inaugurating the excavation of Ulashi Khal in Jashore, the BNP Chairman said, “If BNP can form the government, I myself will come here to cut ca-nals.” He invited everyone to participate. Furthermore, he promised to restart the GK Project in the Ja-shore-Kushtia region.
Without naming anyone, Tarique Rahman said, “A political party has spoken about how to keep half the country’s population, women, confined within homes. The language used by that political party’s leader two days ago towards working mothers and sisters is disgraceful.”
Citing the example of Hazrat Khadija (RA), he said that Hazrat Muhammad’s (PBUH) wife Hazrat Bibi Khadija (RA) was a successful businesswoman.
Therefore, no one has the right to insult working women, he added.
He said, “BNP believes that to rebuild and advance the country, all men and women of the country must work together. But we saw with great pain that a few days ago, a senior leader of a political party told an international media how they view women.”
Informing that if BNP can form a government with people’s votes and support, women will be given ‘family cards’ and farmers will be given ‘farmer cards’, he explained their necessity and benefits. Men-tioning the country’s many educated unemployed, he also informed about various plans to create em-ployment for them.
Jashore District BNP President Syed Saberul Haque Sabu presided over the event. BNP Central Com-mittee Vice Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Vice Chairman Professor Nargis Begum, the party’s Khul-na Division Acting Organizing Secretary Anindya Islam Amit, and top leaders from Jashore and Kushtia regions spoke in the event.
