The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Awami League yesterday disapproved the Election Commission's move for delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies saying that constitutionally the EC has no jurisdiction to do that.

"As per the constitution, the Election Commission is entrusted with the job of holding only parliamentary elections. It cannot get involved in policy works like delimitation process. We fully reject the EC move," AL's acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told newsmen tonight.

He was briefing the journalists after a party presidium meeting held at the Gulshan residence of its acting president Zillur Rahman. Zillur presided over the meeting.

Ashraful Islam apprehended that if the EC continues to engage itself in the activities that are out of its jurisdiction, the electoral roadmap would obviously be hampered.

"The EC has already fallen behind by three months from the election roadmap. They should move just straight. If it wants to see the right and left, people will doubt it," he said.

Ashraful also alleged that the EC has failed to work as per its promises it made during its dialogues with Awami League.

"The EC had promised us that it would delimit not more than 50 seats. But now we're seeing something else. There is no similarity between its (EC's) words and actions," he said.

Referring to another party presidium's decision, Ashraful said it would not accept the presence of any 'third party' during the formal dialogue with the government.

The issue of 'third party' arises as AL presidium member Suranjit Sen Gupta Wednesday proposed military presence during the AL-government meeting.

The AL general secretary said the party presidium meeting also decided to formally ask Suranjit to explain why he proposed for army presence during the dialogue with the government.

About the government stand against the AL's hunger strike programme scheduled for May 5, Ashraful said they have not yet sought permission from the government.

AL will apply to the government tomorrow (Saturday) for permission to stage the hunger strike programme in the capital. "We'll not do anything that'll break the state of emergency. AL hopes the government will permit it to observe the programme."

AL presidium members Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Matia Chowdhury, Abdur Razzak and Amir Hossain Amu were present at the meeting.