Govt won’t interfere in local elections: State Minister

Mir Shahe Alam, state minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives, on Thursday said the government is committed to ensuring free, fair, impartial and a non-interventionist approach during the upcoming local government elections.

The government would not meddle in the upcoming elections in the slightest, and voters would be able to freely pick their preferred candidates, he said while addressing a public gathering in Mokamtola Upazila of Bogura, according to a press release issued by the ministry.

He was there to lay the foundation stone for the Moydanhatta Union Parishad building, and inaugurate the temporary office of the newly established Swarnagram Union Parishad.

Addressing the gathering, he said that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would even take strict action, if necessary, to prevent any untoward incident during the local government elections and to preserve the party’s reputation.

The state minister further said that law enforcement agencies would maintain a firm stance during the elections. Anyone creating disorder would not be allowed to escape consequences on the basis of party affiliation. He reaffirmed the government’s strong commitment to delivering a fair election.

At the event, the minister also sought votes for candidates backed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), saying that electing BNP candidates would make it easier to spread development across rural areas. He said development activities at the local level could be accelerated through the election of public representatives.

The minister said the BNP government was constructing 151-bed hospitals in every upazila across the country. He added that every family in Bangladesh would be brought under the Family Card programme within the next four years, while farmers would receive Farmer Cards. Arrangements would also be made to provide salaries and allowances for imams and muezzins. He said the BNP would seek votes again after five years only after implementing the electoral pledges it had made to the people.

Criticising Jamaat-e-Islami, he said people had been deceived with promises of entry into heaven. “You danced to the beat of drums during last year’s Durga Puja celebrations, so why did you not attend this year?” he asked.

He described the party’s leaders as seasonal politicians, alleging that they promised people the prospect of heaven and visited Puja mandaps during election periods but failed to check on the public after the elections were over. He also accused them of spreading confusion over oil and gas under the banner of a long march.

Referring indirectly to the Awami League, the state minister said the party had not needed votes and therefore had not reached out to the people. “But we need votes. That is why we will continue to visit the people, listen to their concerns and stand by them,” he said.

Among those present were Mokamtola Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ziaur Rahman, Shibganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahinuzzaman, and leaders of various levels of the Shibganj Upazila BNP.

Following the gathering, the state minister inaugurated tree-planting activities and waste-collection vans.