National Citizen Party (NCP) candidate Hasnat Abdullah has alleged that BNP is publicly advocating for a “Yes” vote but is secretly working in favour of a “No” vote in the upcoming referendum on 12 February.
He made the remarks on Sunday night during a rally for the election campaign of Akhter Hossen, the candidate for the Rangpur-4 constituency from the Oikkoboddho Bangladesh alliance, at Kaunia Girls Model School ground.
Hasnat, the candidate from the Cumilla-4 constituency, said, “BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, NCP Convener Nahid Islam, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, and all anti-hegemony political parties have publicly taken a position in favour of the ‘Yes’ vote.”
Regarding the BNP’s dual stance, he said, “If you do not want to see someone in power for life, and if you want a Bangladesh free from corruption, extortion, and illegal occupation, then you must vote ‘Yes’.”
He further said that BNP’s strategy is to get votes; one must remain alert about them. This secret-open stance must be abandoned.
Hasnat added, “We have no money. We did not come to the election with money from extortionists. We did not come to contest the election with money from tender business. We have come to make the lives of loan defaulters a living hell.”
He noted that society can never expect anything good from those whose livelihoods depend on drugs, and said that the people of Bangladesh no longer want such candidates.
He concluded by saying, “This election is not just an election to change the power structure; this election is to free Bangladesh from fascism and hegemony.”
