National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah has scathingly criticised BNP’s Feni-3 candidate Abdul Awal Mintoo for reportedly calling lawyers “bloody citizens” during an Election Commission (EC) appeal hearing.
The incident occurred on Saturday at the Election Building in Dhaka during a hearing regarding the cancellation of candidacies. According to witnesses, Mintoo lost his temper during submissions and verbally abused opposing lawyers.
‘Elite Breed’ vs Citizens
Hasnat Abdullah, who is the NCP candidate for Cumilla-4, alleged that while lawyers, including NCP leader Zahirul Islam Musa, were providing submissions, Mintoo charged towards Musa and used the derogatory term.
“He is of the ‘elite breed’,” Hasnat remarked, noting that such individuals often return to Bangladesh only during elections, maintaining dual citizenship and homes in Canada’s ‘Begum Para.’
“If they win, they stay; if not, they return to their safe exits,” he added.
Hasnat, chief organizer (Southern Region) for the NCP, further argued that the fight after 5 August was specifically against such political elitism.
He accused Mintoo of hypocrisy, claiming that while the elite maintain businesses through ties with Sheikh Rehana and launder money abroad, they expect the “bloody citizens” to shed blood on the streets,.
“You call the public ‘bloody citizens’ but then wear ironed Panjabis and caps to seek their votes in the fields. The people now understand this hypocrisy,” Hasnat said, adding that Mintoo’s behaviour had even pained lawyers from his own party, the BNP.
Concerns over EC’s Role
The NCP leader also expressed grave concern over the Election Commission’s response to violence and intimidation. He highlighted that a candidate was recently beaten in front of the Commission, yet the EC merely requested a written complaint.
Hasnat compared the EC’s stance to the inaction of the Dhaka University Proctor when VP Nur was attacked. Referring to a recent assault on a candidate named Hadi, he criticised the Commission for labelling such acts as “isolated incidents.”
“If the Election Commission does not address these incidents strictly, the blood shed by those in the anti-fascist movement will have been in vain,” Hasnat warned.
He concluded by calling for the end of political elitism, asserting that the “bloody citizens” would eventually reject such politicians.
