Allegations against EC to make EC controversial: Kabita Khanam

Election commissioner Kabita Khanom on Thursday said the allegations of financial irregularities and serious misconduct against the election commissioners have been made not to create controversy against a particular person but to make the election commission controversial, reports state-run news agency BSS.

Kabita Khanom said this referring to the letters of country’s 42 eminent citizens to president Abdul Hamid to probe the allegations against the election commissioners after forming the supreme judicial council.

“Somebody has made these allegations not to make our election commissioners controversial, but to make the institute controversial,” she was replying to a query at her office in city’s Agargaon.

The people who came here as election commissioners have already completed 30 to 31 years services in different public offices, said the election commissioner, adding, “we are doing our duty with transparency here like we had done earlier during our previous job.”

“We have maintained transparency during the tenure of our service,” said Kabita Khanom adding, “Why we will make ourselves controversial when we are in another new assignment only for five years?”

About the resignation of the election commissioners demanded by the eminent lawyers, she said as the allegations have been made to the president M Abdul Hamid, so there is nothing to say.”

Regarding audit objection on the training allowance, she said the audit objection is common for any organisation. “It is not corruption. The audit usually takes place to oversee the accurate expenditure of a particular sector,” she said.

Earlier on 22 December last year, ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is now carrying out evil attempts to make the election commission controversial after failing in all sectors