‘We have no muscle power, hunger strike is our only language of protest’

With tear stains dried beneath his eyes, his voice weak and strength fading, Tarek Rahman, General Secretary of the unregistered political party Amjonotar Dal, was seen sitting under the open sky in front of the Election Commission building in Dhaka, receiving saline. In a frail voice, he murmured, “We have no muscle power. That’s why the EC unjustly denied our party registration. I will continue protesting against this injustice until my death.”

As the Amjonotar Dal did not appear on the Election Commission’s list of registered parties, its General Secretary Tarek Rahman has been on a hunger strike unto death in front of the Commission’s main gate. On the 129th hour of the strike, his condition worsened, and he was being administered saline. Yet, he remains firm in his demand, vowing to continue his strike until the party receives registration.

On Sunday afternoon, at the Election Commission building in Agargaon, Tarek Rahman was seen lying weakly with saline attached to his hand. He was surrounded by many people; journalists, party members, curious onlookers, and several police officers. He could barely speak.

Sitting beside him was Amjonotar Dal President Mashiuzzaman, a resident of Gopalganj, who spoke to reporters. Showing the party’s documents, he said, “Look, brother, despite having all the requirements, our party hasn’t been registered. We have no muscle power, no closeness with the government. That’s why our General Secretary Tarek is on a hunger strike unto death. We have no other way left to protest this injustice except sitting on the street like this.”

When asked whether anyone from the Election Commission had contacted them, he said, “The secretary’s personal assistant came once to ask him to end the strike. I asked him whether he had read the letter they issued. He said no. Then when we read out each point of the letter before the media, he couldn’t answer a single question. He said he would go upstairs and discuss it with his superiors. That was on Thursday. Now it’s Sunday evening, and he hasn’t returned.”

At one point, in a frail voice, Tarek said, “The EC thought I’d start the hunger strike, get humiliated in a couple of days, and then leave. I want to make it clear, my comrades have fought for the right to vote all their lives. Now they can’t even contest in the election? I can’t accept that. What answer will I give them? I can’t even look them in the eye. Why can’t we take part in the election? When we go to the EC, they keep stalling and making excuses.”

He said, “I’m in great pain. There’s a CCTV camera behind me. If the EC officials see it, they’ll realise I haven’t had a drop of water in 129 hours.”

Meanwhile, BNP leader Ishraque Hossain visited Tarek Rahman this afternoon. He urged the Election Commission to re-examine the documents of Amjonotar Dal and other parties recently granted registration. Earlier in the day, leaders of Jubo Dal and Sramik Dal also visited him. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi met Tarek earlier on Thursday, expressing full solidarity and saying, “The political party formed by Tarek Rahman deserves registration.”

On Tuesday, November 4, after final review, the Election Commission decided to grant registration to the National Citizen Party (NCP), Bangladesh Socialist Party (Marxist), and Bangladesh Am Janogon Party. A public notice will be issued for claims and objections, and if none arise, final registration will be confirmed. On that day, Tarek Rahman’s Amjonotar Dal was excluded from the list. Since that afternoon, he has been continuing his hunger strike at the main gate of the Election Commission in Agargaon.