City elections were okay as there was no killing

The recently held city corporation elections in Dhaka and Chittagong went well because nobody was killed on the occasion, opposition leader Raushan Ershad commented yesterday, while talking to journalists on recent issues at the Jatiya Sangsad Media Centre.

 The April 28 polls saw ballot box stuffing and fighting between rival candidates in dozens of polling centres.

On the defeat of her party-backed mayoral candidates in the three cities, she said they did not campaign enough compared to their rivals.

Asked about the post-poll complaints made by two JP-backed candidates in Dhaka, she said, "The defeated candidates always make such complaints."

Raushan said her party had been taking part in all elections after 1990, braving oppression.

 Replying to a query over the killing of bloggers, she said, "It is not right to kill someone. If they do something condemnable, they should be brought to trial."

The former first lady also dismissed speculations that she was having differences of opinions with her husband and party chairman HM Ershad. "Both of us are working for the welfare of the party," she said. "Some media report this [disagreement], but the people don't believe it."

Asked about BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed, she said it was good news that he was found. Let him come; all will know what had happened to him, she added.

She expressed her concern over the sexual harassment of females during the Pahela Baishakh celebrations and demanded immediate arrest of the molesters.

The opposition leader also thanked India's government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Bangladesh government for India's ratifying the long-pending land boundary agreement.