Prepare for next polls, don’t search for alleyways to change govt: Quader to BNP
Ruling Bangladesh Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Thursday asked its political opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party to take preparations for the next parliamentary elections instead of threatening to wage a movement, reports state-run news agency BSS.
“If you want change of government, take preparations for the next general elections instead of searching for any alleyways,” he said at a press conference on contemporary issues at his office at the secretariat in the capital.
About BNP’s threat of waging a fresh movement to free party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia from jail, Quader said BNP has been just shouting for movement for the last 10 years but in reality they could not even bring out a protest procession with 500 people on the street.
“How BNP can hide that failure? The people also witnessed what the ability of the party is,” he said.
He said now no situation of movement is prevailing in the country and the BNP has no preparation as well.
Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said prime minister Sheikh Hasina showed generosity by extending the suspension of Khaleda Zia’s jail sentence for six more months considering her age.
But it is not the outcome of BNP’s movement rather it is Sheikh Hasina’s generosity and her humanitarian approach, he added.
“If BNP leaders stay inside air-conditioned rooms after calling for waging a movement, how would the party workers wage the movement?” asked the AL general secretary.
He said BNP’s call for waging movement is like ‘empty vessel sounds much’.
Turning to the novel coronavirus situation, the minister said according to experts, the country may witness the second wave of coronavirus outbreak in the upcoming winter and therefore, everyone should remain cautious at the highest level.
He said many countries have already witnessed the second wave of the pandemic while now neighbouring India is reporting 90,000 to 100,000 positive cases almost every day.
Under the circumstances, there is no way to neglect it, he said, urging all to wear facemask mandatorily and abide by health guidelines properly.
“A little bit of negligence can push our life at risk. We would have to keep moving the wheel of our life and living following health guidelines properly,” he added.