‘Interim govt not favouring anyone’: Says press secy, terms Rumeen Farhana’s allegations baseless

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday said the interim government is not favouring any candidate contesting for the upcoming national elections.

He made the remark in response to Brahmanbaria-2 constituency’s independent candidate Barrister Rumeen Farhana’s allegation that her rival candidate may carry out vote rigging on the election-day. “Her allegations are baseless. There is no possibility of vote rigging. The government is not working in favour of anyone,” he said.

The election will be held in a free, fair and peaceful manner, he expressed hope while talking to journalists after visiting the shrine of Hazrat Shahpir Kalla Shaheed (R) at Kharmapur area of Brahmanbaria’s Akhaura upazila yesterday. 

He also said unlike previous elections, practices like intimidating oppositions and arrests during campaigning will not recur during the upcoming polls.

Talking about the referendum, Shafiqul Alam said it is essentially a vote in favour of reforms aimed at ending misrule and ensuring that authoritarian governments do not return in the future.

Voting “Yes” in the referendum is necessary to put an end to large-scale plundering of public resources that took place in previous regime, he added.

Regarding the implementation of the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board for journalists, he said media owners should answer such questions, as journalists are often deprived of their rights despite working under risky conditions. Earlier, during a stopover at the Brahmanbaria Circuit House, Shafiqul Alam told journalists that there is no discussion about reconciliation with killers.