Supporters of Ishraque Hossain blocked roads around the Matsya Bhaban intersection in Dhaka, demanding his swearing-in as Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). Joining the protesters on-site, BNP leader Ishraque Hossain called for the resignation of advisors Mahfuz Alam and Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan. He made the demand around 7 PM on Wednesday (May 21) in front of Kakrail Mosque, while addressing demonstrators.
Earlier in the day, Ishraque had announced via a Facebook post that he would join the protest in solidarity with the movement. His arrival at the protest site in the evening was met with enthusiasm from his supporters, who filled the area with chants and slogans.
Ishraque stated, “I had high hopes for this new party, but even after its formation, some of its members remained entangled with the government. Therefore, we never got a truly neutral government. Many within the government are conspiring to ensure the BNP doesn’t perform well in the elections.”
He continued, “The Election Commission is supposed to be an independent and sovereign body. Whatever decision it makes must be respected. But the judiciary has been interfered with from within the government.” Ishraque alleged that pressure is being exerted on the Election Commission, questioning how a fair national election could be expected under such a regime.
He further said, “Are we going to allow another authoritarian government to rise? Just as we ousted Hasina, we will remove all autocratic regimes.” Regarding the mayoral position, he commented, “I don’t care about being mayor. What matters is that this government is not neutral, and that fact has now been exposed.”
Calling for the resignations of Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and Mahfuz Alam, he stated, “They should resign and work for their political party if they wish, but they cannot do this while holding positions in government.” Ishraque concluded with a vow: “There is no turning back. We will not leave until our demands are met.”