BNP leader Ishraque Hossain has urged Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyan to exercise restraint in his remarks and avoid any vindictive actions to help maintain the current peaceful atmosphere , report agencies.
"Hopefully, Asif Mahmud will help maintain the current relative calm by showing restraint in his speech and remarks," he said.
Speaking at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Wednesday, Ishraque also urged the Local Government Adviser not to even consider taking retaliatory action against the officers and employees of Dhaka South City Corporation who took part in the movement.
"I am giving this as a warning message. The city residents will not accept any deviation from this. If the movement starts again, it will not remain confined to Nagar Bhaban - it will spill out onto the streets. This must be avoided," he warned.
Ishraque's supporters and BNP activists have been holding a sit-in outside the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) headquarters under the banner Dhakabashi since May 14. Later, the DSCC employees' union also joined the protest.
Ishraque lost the 2020 Dhaka South mayoral election to the 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 then officially 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.
Ishraque demanded a public apology from Adviser Asif for his insulting comments about the movement and its participants.
He accused Asif of saying on a private TV channel that a local BNP leader from Cumilla had influenced and funded Ishraque's movement.
He warned that unless Asif either provided proof of his claims or apologised, he should be considered as spreading falsehoods or being unfit for his role.
