Joint convener of National Citizen Party (NCP) Sarwar Tushar says, “Family card and party card have been widely used in BCB. Like various constitutional, cultural and autonomous institutions of the country, the cricket board is now a victim of partisanship.
He said this at a press conference on the party's overall review of the upcoming Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections held at the NCP's temporary party office at Banglamotor in the capital on Friday (June 5).
He said, “The BCB election is going to add a new stigma to the country's cricket and through this the acceptance of the government among the younger generation will be further damaged. Therefore, I call for immediate implementation of the BCB reform recommendations.”
Sarwar Tushar said, “Cricket occupies the most important position in the country's sports arena. But ever since the BNP government came to power, plans to destroy cricket have been systematically undertaken. The upcoming Bangladesh Cricket Board elections resemble the structure of the 2014 Awami League uncontested elections.”
Pointing out that the BNP government has done everything necessary to break the backbone of Bangladesh cricket, he said, “The Awami League government established control in a few years, the BNP government has taken cricket under party control faster than that in just three months.”
The NCP leader claimed, “A larger political consensus is working around the BCB, involving Awami League, BNP and influential circles of India.”
He alleged, “India's ruling political party BJP is trying to weaken Bangladesh cricket with the covert support of Amit Shah's son Jai Shah.”
The joint convener of the NCP said, “The election has been called into question by not contesting the post of BCB president and pre-confirming candidates for various posts. BCB ad-hoc committee president and former national cricketer Tamim Iqbal criticized Tamim Iqbal who met Sheikh Hasina during the July mass agitation and has now emerged as BNP's endorsed candidate.”
Tushar complained, “The government has promised to keep sports out of partisanship, but the reality is showing the opposite.”
According to him, “BCB's ad hoc committee includes family members of top BNP leaders and party considerations prevail in the posts of councilors and directors.”
He said, “Even BNP office bearers, relatives and people associated with local government administration have been placed in various important positions.”
From the press conference, the family and political identity of 75 election-related people, including BCB election candidates and divisional and district level councilors, were highlighted. At that time, the party's joint member secretary and sports cell editor Ahnaf Saeed Khan, along with various levels of party leaders and activists were present.
