’If Ishraque not sworn in immediately, then there might be a greater movement’

BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said, “Honorable Chief Advisor, it may or may not reach your ears. If it does, it is good, and if you do not reach your ears, then it is bad for everyone.

The impression has now become such that your advisors think that Bangladesh is theirs. They will decide whatever they want and we will have to accept it. The path you are walking is very undemocratic.”

He said this while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the BNP’s new member recruitment and renewal program in Sylhet division at the Shilpakala Academy Auditorium in Sylhet city on Monday afternoon.

Salahuddin Ahmed said, “You are speaking in a language that is contrary to democracy, you are working against the rule of law. Let me give you an example, on the streets of Dhaka, in the city hall, for a few days now, the people have locked the city hall. They have surrounded it from all sides. They have given an ultimatum to the local government and institutions, the one who was declared mayor by the court verdict, Engineer Ishraque. You are not going to make the person mayor in whose name the Election Commission has published the gazette in compliance with the court verdict take the oath; you are using various tricks. So is this the rule of law? No. Is it the rule of the law court? No.”

 The member of the BNP standing committee said, “What rule are we waiting for? The rule of law. Professor Yunus and one of your young advisors are in charge of the local government ministry. They think that they will not obey the law, they will not obey the court order, they will not heed the gazette notification of the Election Commission— then your journey is against democracy.’

He said, “We have always cooperated with you. We are committed to cooperating with this government. But that does not mean that we have given you a letter of intent to support whatever you do. I urge you, in a very short time, if possible, by today, to hold oath for Engineer Ishraq Hossain to be sworn in as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation. Otherwise, we may have to organize a larger movement centered around this movement in Dhaka."