Staff Correspondent:

National Citizen Party-NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary on Sunday termed the current Election commission ‘spineless,’ saying that the commission is being given a scope to be corrected.

“As the days go by, it becomes increasingly clear to us that this is a spineless Election Commission,” he said while talking to reports after an NCP team met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasiruddin at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.

The NCP leader said people were denied the right to cast their votes in the past by the Election Commission. Now, they (EC) are attempting to create a situation where there will be problems if anyone other than a particular party comes to the election, he added.

He said what happened in the last 15 years is that people were not able to vote. In future Bangladesh, if no one other than a party in the democratic process comes to vote, they (EC or a party) will create problems. But the Election Commission is heading towards such a situation, he pointed out.

Nasiruddin Partwary explained the reasons behind his party’s observation regarding the current Election Commission, saying that they (EC) are trying to create this situation that means now if anyone goes to receive the voting in the democratic process, they (EC) are obstructing the process.

“Number two is the more we see this Election Commission, the more we realise that it is a spineless Election Commission. Number three is that the election commission is an institution that is supposed to lead Bangladesh to a democratic process, but as we observe it now, day by day, we see that most of its organs are dressed in military uniforms and the rest of them are dressed in party uniforms,” said the NCP leader.

Noting that their party is unveiling its (EC’s) problems before people, he said the Election Commission’s ‘spineless’ issue will gradually be revealed to the nation.

Replying to a question, the NCP leader said, “We are constantly meeting them (EC), talking to them, pointing out their mistakes and giving them the opportunity to correct them.”

He said if the Election Commission wants to sell its backbone by wearing military uniforms and party uniforms and not giving the true vote, then the NCP may finally be forced to take this decision (of boycotting the election).

“But we are still giving them a chance. May a good sense prevail among them and they come to the democratic process,” he said.