Ishraque supporters threaten to ‘paralyse’ Dhaka if he’s not sworn in as mayor
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Supporters of BNP leader Ishraque Hossain have threatened to “paralyse” Dhaka if he is sworn in as the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor by 10am on Wednesday.
They also announced plans to resume the ongoing continuous sit-in protest at the Nagar Bhaban on Wednesday to press home the demand.
Former secretary Mashiur Rahman made the announcement during a protest at Nagar Bhaban on Tuesday.
He said, “We will wait until 10am [on Wednesday]. If a decision is not made to hand over mayoral duties to Ishraque Hossain by then, we will launch a tougher programme. This may include bringing Dhaka to a standstill.”
DSCC labour union activists expressed solidarity with Ishraque’s supporters. They warned that if the demand was not met by the stipulated time, they would suspend all civic services such as waste removal, sanitation and electricity services.
Since the protests began on May 14, the Nagar Bhaban—the seat of the DSCC offices—has become practically non-functional. No official work is being carried out there, causing suffering to those seeking services.
Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain is also unable to attend his office as the Local Government Division is currently working out of the Nagar Bhaban.
From 10am on Tuesday, small groups of Ishraque’s Dhaka supporters began gathering outside the Nagar Bhaban, chanting slogans demanding that Ishraque be given the mayoral responsibilities and denouncing Local Government Advisor Asif for the delay.
An improvised stage was set up from 10am for musical performances.
Traffic was brought to a halt from Bangabazar to the Golap Shah Mazar in Gulistan by the programme.
Sumon Hasan, a Chhatra Dal activist from Dhaka’s Dayaganj, told bdnews24.com that the local government ministry was acting unjustly in failing to hand over the post to Ishraque, calling Advisor Asif the “main conspirator”.
“We will continue the protest until he [Ishraque Hossain] is officially made mayor.”
Adilur Rahman, a businessman from Lalbagh, said: “Ishraque was defeated in the election through a conspiracy. Now the court has declared him mayor, we want to see him in the mayor’s chair, even if it’s just for the remainder of the term.”
On Monday, Mashiur announced the start of the continuous sit-in as part of a series of programmes demanding that Awami League’s Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh be replaced by Ishraque.
At the time, he said, “The programme will continue until the demand is fulfilled. Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud’s recent statement on Ishraque Hossain becoming mayor is utterly false. If the demand is not met [by Wednesday], the government will have to bear the consequences. Everyone must be prepared for any situation.”
Supporters of Ishraque—the son of the late mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation Sadeque Hossain Khoka—have been demonstrating since Wednesday to push for his swearing in as mayor.
Since then, the DSCC Nagar Bhaban has remained practically inactive.
On Saturday, the protesters marched towards the Secretariat in a renewed push.
Following the demonstration, they declared Local Government Advisor Asif “unwelcome” at Nagar Bhaban.
Since a fire damaged the Secretariat in December, official work of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives is being conducted out of the city corporation building.
On Saturday, Ishraque sent a letter to the Local Government Division requesting the necessary steps for his swearing-in as DSCC mayor.
Later at a press conference, a journalist asked Ishraque if he had any personal conflict with the local government advisor.
He replied, “I have no personal conflict or personal relationship with the local government or any other advisor.”
At an event in Dhaka on Monday, Asif told the media that the interim government was facing several legal complications in paving the way for Ishraque’s swearing-in as DSCC mayor, adding no decision could be made until these issues were resolved.
Ishraque lost the DSCC election on Feb 1, 2020, to Awami League’s Taposh by nearly 200,000 votes.
But on Mar 27 this year, Judge Md Nurul Islam of the Dhaka Election Tribunal overturned the result and declared Ishraque mayor.
The Election Commission (EC) issued a gazette on Apr 27 naming him mayor, but he has yet to take the oath.
At Saturday’s press conference, Ishraque was asked whether he holds any political party responsible for the delay in oath-taking.
He responded, “I am not blaming any political party, individual, or government. We are simply seeking a resolution.”