Govt arrangements for Tarique spark Jamaat candidate’s anger

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dhaka-17 candidate SM Khaliduzzaman on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the interim government, accusing it of going beyond its limits in arranging the homecoming of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

Speaking to reporters at the office of the Returning Officer at the Divisional Commissioner’s office in Segunbagicha, Khaliduzzaman said the scale of state arrangements for Tarique Rahman was unprecedented and inappropriate.

“We are deeply surprised by what the government and administration are doing for an ordinary citizen. Since his return, they are going out of their way to appease him. This is shameful,” he said, while acknowledging that security measures were necessary. “There is, however, a clear limit to such arrangements.”

Khaliduzzaman insisted that the interim government should remain neutral and act strictly within the bounds of law. “We do not expect the government to cross its limits for anyone. We urge them to stay within their constitutional role,” he added.

Rejecting any suggestion of political intimidation, the Jamaat candidate said he felt no challenge in contesting against the BNP acting chairman.

He also alleged that over the past 15 to 20 years, a section of the state machinery had been compromised by what he described as “bootlickers”, contributing to the erosion of governance. Khaliduzzaman claimed that loan defaulters owing thousands of crores of taka had been legitimised as election candidates, warning that the same forces were now seeking a political comeback from within the administration.

“We are seeing how a factory of fascism is being preserved. If we are elected, we will dismantle this system and uproot the tycoons,” he said, vowing to confront what he called entrenched political and economic interests.