NN ONLINE:
BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Tuesday expressed the hope that candidates backed by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) will win the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) and hall union elections.
“We are optimistic about the victory of the nationalist forces (JCD panel),” he said while talking to reporters at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave. Replying to a question, the BNP leader said they have so far not received any news that might cause concern about the election.
“We believe that everyone here (in Dhaka University) is educated and aware, so we do not think they will give any scope to those responsible for the election to commit any irregularities,” he said.
Gayeshwar, a BNP Standing Committee member, said the conscious students of Dhaka University will elect their representatives as per their choice in a fair and credible atmosphere. “There is no reason to worry about the Ducsu election. The students are alert and know what is best,” he said.
The BNP leader said students belonging to different organisations could not stay on campus or carry out their normal activities for a long time during the Awami League rule. He said only the ruling party’s student body could carry out one-sided activities during that period, while other parties did not get the slightest scope to expand their activities on the campus.
After the fall of the Awami League regime, he said student organisations returned to the campus within a short time. “So, I hope the students, using their intellect and judgement, will elect qualified leadership.”
Earlier, Gayeshwar along with leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal paid homage to BNP founder Ziaur Rahman by placing wreaths at his grave, marking the 47th founding anniversary of BNP’s women’s wing. Turning to the national election issue, the senior BNP leader said their party aims to build a self-reliant Bangladesh by implementing its 31-point proposal, if voted to power. “BNP wants to build a country that stands on its own feet, not one that depends on others,” he said.
Gayeshwar said the nation has long been struggling to give democracy an institutional shape and to establish the rule of law, good governance, equality, justice, people’s rights and women’s safety and empowerment. He recalled that Ziaur Rahman took various programmes while Begum Khaleda Zia created a separate ministry for women to ensure their dignity and rights. “Half of our population is made up of women, and the country cannot progress if they are left unemployed at home.”
The long-awaited DUCSU and hall union elections are currently underway in a festive and peaceful atmosphere across eight polling centres on campus. A total of 471 candidates are contesting for 28 posts in this year’s DUCSU election.
A total of 39,775 students are registered to vote in the elections, including 20,873 male and 18,902 female students.
