Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
BNP leader Ishraque Hossain on Wednesday cautioned Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain to exercise restraint in his remarks and avoid any vindictive actions.
"Hopefully, Asif Mahmud will help maintain the current relative calm by showing restraint in his speech and remarks," he said at a press conference at the National Press Club.
Ishraque also urged the adviser not to even consider taking retaliatory action against the officers and employees of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) who took part in the movement.
“I am issuing this as a warning. The city’s residents will not accept any deviation from this. If the movement resumes, it will not remain confined to Nagar Bhaban — it will spill out onto the streets. This must be avoided,” he warned.
Since May 14, Ishraque’s supporters and BNP activists have been staging a sit-in outside the DSCC headquarters under the banner "Dhakabashi".
Later, the DSCC employees’ union also joined the protest.
Ishraque lost the 2020 Dhaka South mayoral election to ruling Awami League candidate Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh by nearly 200,000 votes.
However, on March 27 this year, an electoral tribunal overturned the result.
The Election Commission subsequently declared Ishraque the new mayor on April 27.
Despite this, the Local Government Ministry has refused to arrange his oath-taking ceremony, citing unresolved legal matters.
