Dhaka: In an apparent reference to Bangladesh's largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), BNP chairman and former PM Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman has said a "certain party" is trying to deceive voters, particularly women, with "tickets to heaven" if they align with it and vote for it in the parliamentary elections.
In his maiden poll rally on Thursday in Sylhet, Tarique also warned of conspiracies being hatched to derail the polls through rigging. "They are already cheating you. Now, think about how they will cheat you after the elections...They are not only deceiving people; they are making Muslims commit 'shirk' (act of ascribing divinity or worship to others alongside Allah). 'Nauzubillah' (we seek refuge in Allah)," he said in veiled attack on former BNP ally JeI.
Tarique also criticised the "certain party" for its stance against the 1971 Liberation War in multiple public meetings, amid high security as Bangladesh sees political violence intensifying ahead of the campaigning for which began Thursday.
Nahid Islam, convener of JeI ally National Citizen Party, has accused "one particular party" of spreading misleading information among the public and creating an environment of fear.
As the two rivals traded barbs, a leader of Tarique's party was critically injured after assailants opened fire on him in Dhaka's Keraniganj area on Thursday night. The incident comes amid two incidents of intense clashes between BNP and JeI workers this week that left several injured. BNP Hazratpur Union general secretary Mohammad Hasan Molla, 45, was shot on Thursday night, police said, adding he suffered a gunshot injury to the right side of his abdomen. Hasan's brother Rakib Molla said two unidentified men opened fire on Hasan .
