EC’s Tk 8,711cr EVM project a mockery: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday described the Election Commission’s project to buy two lakh more electronic voting machines as a mockery with the nation.

“You see what kind of mockery is happening with the nation (in the name of procuring EVMs) when people want the election to be held under an impartial government and all political parties, except Awami League, have told the Election Commission that we don’t want EVMs,” he said.

Speaking at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, Fakhrul said the EC has sought Tk 8,711 crore for buying EVMs to use those in 150 seats in the next general election. “It’s like a rogue state as there’s no accountability in this country.”

Earlier on Monday, the EC finalised the project to buy two lakh electronic voting machines and their management. The project will now be sent to the Planning Commission for government approval.

A few days ago, Fakhrul said the cabinet secretary made it very clear in a meeting of the Planning Commission that most of the projects are made for stealing public money. “Even the projects are not assessed here while the loan agreements are signed in the middle of the night. This is the overall situation of the country.”

He said there is no government or governance in the country as Awami League has turned Bangladesh into a terrible failed state. “We never imagined that we would see such a Bangladesh one day.”

Fakhrul alleged that police are harassing BNP and opposition party leaders and workers in the name of collecting their personal information in the rural areas, creating an alarming situation.

“Police in various areas are collecting information from one political worker to another. They’re also collecting the list of committees of BNP and its associate bodies. Such activities of the police are not justified in any way by the Constitution, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Police Act or the Police Rules or any other law,” he said.

The BNP leader said the law enforcers are also violating the right to privacy of the citizen and interfering in the enjoyment of legal rights and personal liberty of the citizen by such a move. “It is a clear violation of Articles 31, 32 and 43 of the Constitution.”