City polls schedule in March: Constitution does not permit ban on religion-based political parties, says CEC, EC may sponsor electioneering to cut campaign cost
ATM Shamsul Huda
Staff Reporter
The Election Commission (EC) will announce schedule of elections to four city corporations next month and request the government to relax the state of emergency in this cities during the polls.
Disclosing this during the dialogue with three political parties, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr ATM Shamsul Huda said the banning of pro-Islamic parties was not possible due to constitutional compulsion.
The EC held dialogue with Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab), Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) and Ganatantri Party on electoral reforms.
The CEC termed the war criminals and religion-based politics parties very important and sensitive issues and said the EC cannot do anything that contravenes the Constitution and existing laws.
"Election Commission is not a forum to decide whether to keep out or not a political party having name of religion of the polls," he said advising leaders, who were pressuring for banning religion-based political partied to move to court of law to decide on the issue.
"Why you the like-minded persons do not file a writ in the High Court in this regard. No one will have anything to say if the court gives a reference," he said.
The CEC said the Commission is pondering over a suggestion from political parties to sponsor election campaign for them to cut campaign cost.
He said the Commission might try it experimentally on the eve of the City Corporation elections. "If it is successful, then we will think of it for the parliamentary elections as well," he said.
Elaborating the EC's position on banning political parties based on religion, Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) Shakhawat Hossain said there is no democratic country in the world without a religion - based political party.
"Narendra Modi could not have become the Chief Minister of Gujrat or Lal Krishna Advani the Deputy Prime Minister of India if democracy did not allow religious political parties," he said adding, there are political parties like that of Christian Democratic Party in most of the countries in Europe.
Shakhawat Hossain said he felt hurt whenever it is being said about religion-based politics, as the matter is very sensitive.
The three political parties supported the EC-announced election roadmap. JP (Manju) and Gantantri Party made an identical demand for the EC to announce a specific date for the polls and JP asked for lifting the ban on indoor politics outside Dhaka.
Responding to the JP and Gantantri Party, the CEC said the EC will announce the date, but it will take some time.
Ganatantri Party President M Nurul Islam, however, said they did not speak against religion rather they spoke only about those who are doing business in the name of religion, committed war crimes, raped women, plundered and assisted the Pakistanis.
Later, Nurul Islam told reporters that there is practice of religion-based politics in different countries of the world and many crimes and killings are also being committed based on that.
Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen (Retd) M Sakhawat Hussain, among others, were present at the dialogue.
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