Resist any attempt to exploit vote counting: Tarique Rahman

BNP chairperson Tarique Rahman has urged people to resist any attempt to exploit delays in vote counting.

“Lately, we are hearing a new story — that vote counting will take much longer this time. If anyone tries to take advantage by using delays in counting as an excuse, you must resist that,” he said.

Tarique Rahman made the remarks on Monday while addressing a BNP election rally at Jashore Suburban Degree College ground.

He said the people of the country have been deprived of voting for the past decade, but they are not unfamiliar with the voting process.

“They voted in 1991, again in 1996 and in 2001. People of Bangladesh know how much time vote counting usually takes,” he said.

The rally, organised by Jashore district BNP, saw large crowds from morning, filling the meeting venue, the adjacent Eidgah ground, Badsha Faisal School field and surrounding roads.

Earlier in the day, Tarique Rahman addressed a rally in Khulna and arrived at the Jashore venue by helicopter at 2.18 pm. He took the stage at 2.30 pm and spoke for about 40 minutes starting at 2.37 pm.

During his brief one-hour visit, he handed over the sheaf of paddy symbol to 22 BNP-nominated candidates from seven districts — Jashore, Jhenaidah, Magura, Narail, Kushtia, Meherpur and Chuadanga — and urged people to ensure their victory.

Without naming any party, Tarique Rahman alleged that certain groups are sending people door to door to collect national identity card numbers and bKash details from women.

“They claim they will establish rule by honest people. This proposal itself is the most dishonest. How can you claim to establish honest rule by starting with dishonest practices?” he said.

He also accused them of lying about their social media accounts being hacked.

“Experts have proven that your accounts were not hacked. You are lying to save yourselves. Those who can lie to people before an election will lie even more after it,” he said.

He warned that efforts are underway to make the election controversial and obstruct it, urging people to remain vigilant so that no conspiracy can snatch away voting rights again.

Outlining his plans for national reconstruction, he also spoke about development in the south-western region, promising initiatives to export flowers from Jashore and revive sugar mills by expanding sugarcane cultivation.

Recalling that late president Ziaur Rahman had inaugurated the excavation of Ulashi Canal in Jashore, he said, “If BNP forms the government, I will come myself to dig canals,” inviting people to take part. He also pledged to revive the GK project in the Jashore-Kushtia region.

Referring to remarks made by a political party about women, without naming it, Tarique Rahman said insulting working women was disgraceful.

Citing Hazrat Khadija (RA), wife of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he said she was a successful businesswoman and that no one has the right to demean working women.

He said BNP believes both women and men must work together to rebuild the country, expressing disappointment that some parties have begun speaking contemptuously about women since August 5, 2024.

The rally was chaired by Jashore district BNP president Syed Saberul Haque Sabu. Other speakers included BNP vice chairpersons Nitai Roy Chowdhury and Professor Nargis Begum, and Khulna divisional organising secretary Anindya Islam Amit.