Fakhrul-Rizvi difference reveals Khaleda-Tarique dispute: Quader

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has interpreted the difference of opinion between two top BNP leaders over the Rangpur city polls as a 'sign of feud' between Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman.

“Ask Mr Fakhrul and Rizvi. Actually, there are speculations that one of them is Tarique’s follower while the other follows Khaleda Zia,” Quader told reporters.

“Why do they have different assessments (on the results of the polls)? How is that Rizvi is saying one thing but Fakhrul something else?” he asked.

Quader made the remarks when reporters asked for his take on the issue after he attended a programme at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in Dhaka on Friday.

Earlier in the day, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a programme in Thakurgaon that the police had barred their candidate from campaigning in Rangpur, but "everyone should accept the results of the overall peaceful election”.

But, the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at another programme in Dhaka said that the "Rangpur election was rigged”.

Khaleda heads the BNP while her son Tarique, now in London for many years, is the senior vice-chairman.

Jatiya Party’s Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa was elected mayor of Rangpur City, beating the Awami League’s Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu and the BNP’s Kawsar Zaman Babla by a huge margin on Thursday.

Quader was critical of Rizvi for raising the allegation of 'rigging' in Rangpur elections.

The Awami League leader said the BNP would bring the same allegation whenever it faced defeat.

He also termed Mirza Fakhrul’s comments ‘self-contradictory’.

“He says the election was fair. But he also says the Election Commission has failed,” Quader said.

Asked whether the Awami League would use the Rangpur polls as the bait for the BNP to come to the next parliamentary elections, Quader said, “No, I won’t say it is a bait for the BNP.”

He also said the defeat of the Awami League candidate would not affect the chances of his party in the next parliamentary election, scheduled to be held around a year from now.