Ruhin Hossain Prince, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Communist Party and coordinator of the Left Democratic Alliance, has accused the Election Commission of backtracking on its responsibilities, likening it to “riding a ghost, which always moves backward.”
He made the remarks on Thursday during the inaugural session of the party’s 12th district conference at the Panchagarh Government Auditorium.
Criticizing the increase in election deposits and costs, Prince said, “The commission is turning elections into a playground for the rich. Earlier, the deposit was 20,000 taka; now it has been raised to 50,000 taka. This is not what we staged the people’s uprising for.”
He asserted that the Bangladesh Communist Party continues to fight for the interests of the people, especially laborers and working-class citizens, with policy and integrity.
“Over the past 54 years, who has held power? In 1971, the Jamaat-aligned collaborators were in power; later, the Awami League, BNP, and Jatiya Party ruled. Have they brought freedom or justice to the people? They have not,” he claimed.
Prince further said that the economic progress achieved by laborers and working-class people has been looted over the past five decades by corrupt politicians, preventing the establishment of permanent democracy. “Those in power have become authoritarian, dynastic, and despotic. Against this, we have repeatedly fought and achieved victories with fresh blood. The recent uprising aimed for democracy and equality. Today, democracy is under threat, and mob violence has made daily life unbearable. People wake up each day in anxiety and fear.”
He criticized successive election commissions for failing to address inequality and neglecting the interests of the poor and working-class citizens.
Prince concluded by calling on citizens to rally under the Communist Party’s red flag to build a democratic, secular, and equitable Bangladesh.
