Ishraque alleges political ‘discrimination’ against paddy sheaf candidate

BNP leader Ishraque Hossain has alleged political discrimination against him as the paddy sheaf candidate, citing delays in his swearing-in as Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor despite a court order and a gazette notification.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday evening, he said: “It seems to us that the candidate of the paddy sheaf is being treated unfairly. The case was against the boat symbol’s candidate, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.

“Who can now oppose this case on their behalf? That would make them allies of those defendants, wouldn’t it? I blame those collaborators—I won’t blame anyone else.”

He added, “I urge all responsible parties to implement the court’s verdict without delay.”

Supporters of Ishraque—son of the late mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation Sadeque Hossain Khoka—have been demonstrating since Wednesday demanding he be handed the mayoral duties.

Since then, the DSCC Nagar Bhaban has remained practically inactive.

On Saturday, the protesters marched towards the Secretariat in a renewed push.

Following the demonstration, they declared Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain “unwelcome” at Nagar Bhaban.

That day, Ishraque also sent a letter to the Local Government Division, asking it to take “necessary steps” to arrange his swearing-in as mayor. He later held a press conference in the evening.

When asked whether he had any conflict with the local government advisor, Ishraque said: “I have no personal conflict or personal relationship with the local government advisor or any other advisor.

“We haven’t even met 99 percent of the advisers, nor do we know them. So the question is completely irrelevant.”

Ishraque was asked if he blamed any political party for the delay.

“I’m not blaming any political party, individual or government,” he replied. “We are simply seeking a resolution.”

Referring to the details of the verdict, Ishraque said: “It has been 20 days since the gazette was published. Yet, no steps have been taken by the current government to administer my oath.

He added, “By current government, I mean the Local Government Division, to which the directive was sent by the Election Commission (EC) along with the gazette.

“After it was sent, the actions it [Local Government Division] took have been described by many as illegal from a legal standpoint. It wrote a counter letter to the EC, attempting to reference multiple points, questioning whether an appeal would be made.

“In response, the Election Commission provided a detailed legal explanation of how and why it reached the decision and published the gazette.

“Despite receiving this, the local government ministry has sent yet another letter, clearly stalling the process.”

Ishraque believes “there is a government within the government, which is now acting with party bias and working according to its policies to benefit a specific political party”.

“You’ll notice another thing in this — a statement was issued by [the National Citizen Party], where it claims to have reviewed the verdict. It even criticised the judge, which is deeply regrettable,” he said.

“I want to ask — if the NCP represents a post-uprising government or the product of a mass movement, then what was my role? Was I on Sheikh Hasina’s side? Didn’t I fight enough against Sheikh Hasina? Did I enjoy political benefits under her?” Ishraque asked.

“They are against me simply because I am the BNP-nominated paddy sheaf candidate,” he said. “They want to appoint their loyalists as administrators and extract political gains during the upcoming elections.

“They are now blocking me so they can continue the ongoing financial plunder centred around Nagar Bhaban — in contracts, billing and everything else,” he added.