One party fishing in troubled waters: Salahuddin

“They once stood against independence, and later went against the people or their sentiments. They are now trying to fish in troubled waters. I won’t name them — you understand who I’m talking about,” he told the gathering.

Salahuddin Ahmed made the remarks while speaking at a procession in the capital’s Mirpur area, organised by BNP’s Dhaka North city unit to commemorate the martyrs of the July mass uprising.

He harshly criticised the parties who are demanding for the introduction of a proportional representation (PR) system in the country's parliamentary election and insisting on holding the local government pills first, saying they have an evil intention.

“Those who are raising the demand for PR-based elections in Bangladesh and the arrangement of local government polls before the national parliamentary election — they have an evil intention,” he said.

Not naming Islami Andolon Bangladesh-IAB (founded by the Charmonair pir), the BNP leader said, “The party that fan Awami League with the hand fan (the IAB's electoral symbol) for 16 years is now claiming that no election should be held without a PR system,” 

Without naming Jamaat, he said another party that has always engaged in misleading politics in Bangladesh joined hands with them (IAB).

The BNP Standing Committee member said the people of Bangladesh don’t understand this PR system., reports UNB. 

The people understand a system where one candidate is elected from one specific constituency and becomes a Member of Parliament (MP). That MP remains in touch with the people, works to solve local problems, and participates in lawmaking, he said.

“But in the PR system, you may vote for Aminul in Mirpur and end up getting Babul from Sandwip as your MP. People of this country neither know about this system nor want it,” he said.

Salahuddin said the caretaker government was restored following the court’s verdict and it has the constitutional mandate to hold a national election within three months.

“We consider this neutral interim administration as the caretaker government. Your only responsibility is to ensure a free, fair and neutral parliamentary election. You have no authority to arrange local government elections,” he said.

So, those who are pushing for local government elections to be held first under the interim government are the ones trying to delay the national polls by creating confusion, said the BNP leader.