Tarique interviews election aspirants via other apps after Skype outage

A BNP panel has been interviewing election aspirants in Chattogram, Sylhet and Cumilla on the third day of candidature review.

Tarique Rahman was part of the interview process on video calls via other apps as Skype is blocked, said several candidates after the interviews.

The interview started for the aspirants from Feni in Chattogram Division at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan on Tuesday morning, to be followed by the review of candidates from Cumilla and Sylhet.

The Awami League has filed a complaint with the EC over the participation of Tarique, the acting chairperson of BNP convicted in three cases, from London through Skype.

Skype, a popular app for video calls, was blocked in Bangladesh on Monday night as the EC expressed its inability to take any measure on the issue.

Tarique spoke to the potential candidates on video call in other apps, Abdul Latif Johny, a candidate for Feni-3, told bdnews24.com emerging from the interview board.

“Our emotion can’t be blocked just like you can’t block water currents,” he said.

Earlier in the day, BNP’s Publicity Affairs Secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury said: “Skype is blocked but our acting chairperson will try to take part in the interview process through other apps.”

More than 600 aspirants are likely to face the interview for the 36 seats in Chattogram division, 22 seats in Cumilla and 19 seats in Sylhet, according to the organisational structure of the BNP.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Jamiruddin Sircar, Mahbubur Rahman, Rafiqul Islam Mia, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury are part of the interview panel.

Apart from the aspirants, presidents and general secretaries of district and metropolitan wings of the BNP, divisional organisational secretaries and deputy organisational secretaries of the respective divisions have been present in the interview.

The BNP parliamentary board spoke to the candidates from Rangpur and Rajshahi division on Sunday, the first day of the interview process; and to the aspirants from Barishal and Khulna on Tuesday.

Tarique, now residing in London being convicted in two corruption cases with 17 years jail and a life term on the Aug 21 grenade attack case, generated a fresh discussion by his involvement in the interview process through video conference in Skype on the first two days.  

The Awami League has filed a complaint at the Election Commission calling for action to stop Tarique joining the nomination process of his party since he is a fugitive convict.

But the EC said it has nothing to do with the issue of Tarique, EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed told reporters on Monday.