Govt conspiring to change POs in next phase of UZ polls: BNP

The BNP has accused the government of desperately conspiring to influence the third, fourth and fifth phases of the Upazila elections by bringing change in the list of the Presiding Officers.
The party Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed told it at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in the city on Monday.
He said that they got the information that the government was replacing many presiding officers from the current list assigned for the third phase of the UZ polls. Presiding officers are being picked up those who are directly involved with the Awami League in an attempt to manipulate the result through massive vote fraud. Polls to 83 Upazila Parishads will be held in the third phase on March 15. Rizvi Ahmed said that following the defeat of the AL-backed candidates in most of the upazilas in the first and second phases of the UZ polls, the AL is now hatching conspiracy to ensure victory of the AL-backed candidates in the next phases at any cost.  
Referring to the statement of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina about ensuring victory of the AL-backed candidates in the next phases, the BNP leader said that the ruling party was thinking of vote rigging at the directive of the PM. He also criticised the AL leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim for his provocative statement of cutting the hands and legs of those who would take part in the movement, restoring to subversive activities. “The AL’s plan of vote rigging and creating violence was reflected in the comment of Selim,” Rizvi said.
BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy at a separate function also criticised Selim for his comment, saying that the AL leader had lost the quality of remaining Member of the Parliament for such derogatory and provocative comment. The character of the ruling party has been reflected in such indecent comment, he said.
He was speaking at a roundtable discussion at the National Press Club, organised by Bangladesh Jatiya Manobadhikar Parishad. BNP Chairperson’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu and president of the Swadhinata Forum Abu Naser Mohammad Rahmatullah also spoke on the function with ASM Mostafa Kamal in the chair.