DHAKA – Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina today castigated BNP for doing “nomination trade” and said it is now plotting to foil or rig the polls.

“The BNP did nomination business ahead of the elections and that’s why they are now facing intra-party conflict,” she said while addressing election rallies in Rajshahi, Joypurhat, Narail and Gaibandha through videoconferencing from her Sudha Sadan residence at Dhanmondi in the capital this afternoon.

The Awami League president said the BNP has given nominations to its 3/4 candidates in a single seat and then it called auction. “Calling auction was meant that those who will pay highest amount of money will get the party ticket, and in this way, they did the nomination business,” she said.

The prime minister said the BNP leaders and workers are now engaged in clashes among themselves. “They are setting fire to their own offices and vehicles and then putting blame on others … it’s a reality,” she said.

Pointing out that Awami League never did business with party nomination, Sheikh Hasina said that as a big party, AL has many nomination-seekers from one constituency, but the party has picked a single candidate for one seat.

“We conducted several surveys two years after the last general elections and we’ve selected our party candidates based on those surveys,” she said.

The Awami League president said BNP is hatching another plot that they will make “Mujib Coat” and badges of Awami League, Jubo League and Chaatra League. “Wearing these they will create trouble (in polling centres) or rig votes and then put blame on the Awami League,” she said.

The prime minister said the BNP is absent from normal campaign and they are now busy with conspiracies. “I also heard that they are printing fake ballot papers to rig polls and we’ve to save the voting rights of the people from this plot,” she said.