BNP opposes EC’s move to rename local govt bodies

BNP on Monday alleged that the Election Commission (EC) is going to unilaterally change the names of local government institutions and their posts at the ‘behest’ of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"Now the Election Commission has no work as they have sent elections to the graveyard. He (Chief Election Commission) is now trying to rename the Union Parishad as Polli Parishad and the upazila chairman as the Upazila Pita (father), the city mayor the Mahanagar Pita,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, UNB reports.

Speaking at a doa mahfil, he said, “The CEC is changing the long traditional names and systems of the (local govt) institution following the instruction of Sheikh Hasina. He is not taking the opinions of any other political party.”

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal arranged the programme on the ground floor of BNP’s Nayapaltan Central office seeking salvation of the departed souls of Swechchasebak Dal president Shafiul Bari Babu and BNP’s assistant organising secretary Abdul Awal Khan.

Though the EC is an independent body, Rizvi said the current Chief Election Commissioner and other commissioners have become servants of the government by ruining their independent entity.

According to media reports, the EC has taken a move to rename local government bodies like City Corporation, Municipality and Union Parishad and their posts like mayors and chairmen in Bangla by amending the existing laws.

The Commission also published a proposal in this regard on its website last month seeking views on the amendment to the relevant laws.

About coronavirus, Rizvi said people are being pushed towards death as they are not getting treatment in rural areas after getting infected with the virus.

Stating that he visited some northern districts over the last few days, the BNP leader said people are dying in those areas without treatment as the entire health system has collapsed.

“There's no treatment in rural hospitals. Going to the hospitals there means carrying a sure death certificate in the pocket. This government has not only introduced an inhumane-political culture by resorting to crossfire, enforced disappearance, and killing, they have taken all measures to push the people of the whole country towards death," Rizvi observed.

He also alleged that the government has long been taking mega projects creating scopes for ruling party men to plunder public money, but it didn't develop the health sector. “So, people are now dying of corona infractions at the hospitals and on the roads.”