Amu’s statement over dialogue with BNP is personal: Information minister

Information and broadcasting minister Hasan Mahmud on said Amir Hossain Amu’s remarks on the issue of dialogue with opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is his personal and it is not the statement of the government or the Awami League or the 14-party alliance.

“Amir Hossain Amu is one of the senior leaders of our 14-party. And it was his personal statement. There was no discussion over this in our party or in the government. Even, it was not discussed in the 14-party alliance. This is his personal statement,” he added.

The minister, also joint general secretary of ruling Awami League (AL), said this while replying to a query from newspersons at the conference room of his ministry at secretariat in the capital.

Hasan said, “When communicated with Amir Hossain, he claimed that he didn’t said what appeared in the media. However, it was his personal opinion and the issue was not discussed in the party or in the government or in the 14-party.”

He said the present government will perform as the election-time government like in all other democratic countries, including India, Australia, Japan, the UK and the US.

He said the prime minister will perform her duties as the prime minister of the election time government and it is her prerogative to decide what will be the size of the government, he added.

The minister also said the election commission (EC) will conduct the polls. The persons who believe in democracy and want to continue the march of the democracy must take part in the polls, he added.

He said the government would extend all-out support to the EC so that the polls are held in a free, fair, neutral, participatory and in a festive mood. “We want all political parties including the BNP to take part in the elections. And we want a very fantastic election to be held in Bangladesh through everyone’s participation which will be an example before the world,” he added.

He further said BNP can discuss with the EC if they have any issue over the polls as the EC will organise the elections. “We will also visit the EC if they call us,” he said.

But the fact is, the minister went on saying, BNP is afraid of elections. They had tried to resist the parliamentary polls in 2014, torched 500 polling centres, killed two presiding officers and burned about 3,000 common people and of those, 500 had died. The party is now busy in conspiracy to resist the polls and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said this time and again, he added.

But there is no scope of resisting or boycotting polls this time, said Hasan, adding, “The polls must be held in a free, fair, neutral and participatory manner.”

He said BNP, as a political party, can take decisions whether they would take part in the polls or not. But their aim is to create a special situation in the country through rigging the elections, he added.

The information minister also said the participation of the common people is the key issue. If the common people participate in the elections widely and the voting is free, fair, impartial, then it is a good election with participation of commoners, he added.

He said, “BNP is a terror political party and the party is validated as a terror party by a Canadian court. Many including SM Kibria, Ahsan Ullah Master, Manjurul Imam were killed in their attacks.”

Hasan said it is a big question how the discussion will be held with them (BNP) who carried out arson attacks and killed people.