National Citizen Party (NCP) Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain has alleged that Tarique Rahman is advocating for a “Yes” vote only out of fear of losing his party’s mandate and due to intense public pressure.
He made the comments on Tuesday night after a courtyard meeting in Balapara of Kandi Union under Pirgachha, where Akhtar is contesting as the 11-party alliance candidate for the Rangpur-4 constituency.
Speaking to journalists, the NCP leader questioned the BNP’s sincerity, saying that while Tarique Rahman publicly spoke in favour of a “Yes” vote during his visit to Rangpur, the party’s conduct inside the Consensus Commission suggested a lack of commitment to implementing the July Charter.
“Tarique Rahman is speaking for the ‘Yes’ vote only because the BNP risks losing its mandate under public pressure,” Akhtar said.
He claimed there were hundreds of videos showing BNP and Chhatra Dal activists campaigning for a “No” vote, arguing that the party’s current position has not been accepted by the public.
Akhtar said voters in Bangladesh would ultimately support political forces capable of reforming the state, adding that while people previously backed the BNP-Jamaat alliance to counter the Awami League, they were now shifting support to the NCP-Jamaat alliance to restrain the BNP.
After years of repression under the Awami League, he said, people did not expect the BNP to stand in the way of the aspirations that emerged after the fall of the previous regime, prompting voters to look towards the 11-party alliance.
“Regardless of domestic, foreign or neighbouring conspiracies, the people will ensure that the 11-party alliance forms the government, InshaAllah,” Akhtar said.
Leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party were present at the briefing.
