BNP-nominated candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency and party Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas has said that the people’s vote is the sole source of power, asserting that no political party or group has the authority to decide who will get a parliamentary seat.“Neither any party nor any group owns a seat. Allah and the people are the ultimate decision-makers,” Mirza Abbas told journalists on Sunday (January 25) while campaigning in Malibagh, Mominbagh and Shahjahanpur, seeking votes for the BNP’s election symbol, the sheaf of paddy.
During the day, he also attended and distributed prizes at a friendly football match held at the Maitri Sangha ground in Shahjahanpur Railway Colony. Later in the evening, he was scheduled to offer prayers at Shahbagh Anondobazar Mosque and continue door-to-door campaigning in the surrounding areas.
Recalling his past electoral victories, Mirza Abbas said the people of the area had elected him with love and trust in the 1991, 1996 and 2001 elections. “Even today, I believe the voters will once again consider my work and the activities of my party and elect me, Inshallah,” he said.
Commenting on recent remarks by the Jamaat-e-Islami ameer regarding family cards and employment, Mirza Abbas said various questions have arisen over the issue. “They are saying they will not provide unemployment allowances but will create jobs. The people will judge these claims,” he added.
Asked about a statement suggesting that an independently elected
candidate would later return to the BNP, Mirza Abbas said it was a personal matter. “I have nothing to say about it,” he remarked.
Responding to a journalist’s question about a Jamaat candidate’s claim that no seats in Dhaka would be given to BNP, Mirza Abbas said, “Who are they to decide seats? The owners of seats are Allah and the people. Speaking above the people reflects arbitrariness and undemocratic behaviour.”
He further alleged that a “certain force” might be attempting to influence the election through engineering. “Inshallah, the people will resist such attempts,” he said.
Highlighting local issues, Mirza Abbas claimed that the area had been “ruined over the past 17 years” due to drugs, extortion and terrorism. “Protecting the area from these three evils is now the most urgent task,” he said.
Expressing confidence about the upcoming election, he concluded, “I am hopeful of victory. I am working hard, and I leave the rest to Allah.”