The US embassy in Dhaka has taken up the role of a mouthpiece for the BNP, says Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina’s son.
“They are parroting BNP claims about the recent election in Gazipur and emphasizing irregularities, while making absolutely no comment on the BNP's attempt to cause violence in that election”, he said in a Facebook post on Monday.
His remarks come after US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat’s recent comments that her country “remains concern over reported irregularities” in the Gazipur and Khulna city polls.
Joy, who spearheads the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ campaign as the ICT affairs adviser to the PM, said the US government has a strict policy of not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.
“... so this is just the local Embassy's opinion. As usual, the Embassy officials have been spending too much time with their BNP friends,” reads his post.
The Election Commission cancelled voting in nine out of the 425 polling stations, which accounts for 2.1 percent, said Joy before adding, “Our new Mayor Jahangir Alam received double the votes of BNP's Hasan, a margin of over 200,000 votes. All poll observers stated that the few irregularities could not have affected the outcome.”
On the US envoys remarks over harassment and arrest of opposition activist, Joy said that BNP Central Executive Committee leader Mizanur Rahman Mizan was recorded on phone sabotaging the election by violence.
“The US Embassy makes no mention of any of this,” he said in his post.