‘Oikya Front not barred from holding its rally’

Ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said the permission to the Oikya Front for holding its planned rally in Sylhet has been put on hold on security grounds, reports UNB.

"Oikya Front has not been barred from holding its rally," said Quader while answering queries from newsmen after visiting the Dhaka-Tangail Highway at Chandra.

He observed the newly forged Jatiya Oikya Front has made a mistake at the beginning of its journey by complaining to foreigners without reaching out to people.

Quader's comments came a day after Jatiya Oikya Front briefed foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka on their demands, goals and position on the next general election.

Diplomats from around 25 countries, including the USA, the UK, the EU, Canada, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Vietnam and Norway joined the briefing at a city hotel on Thursday.

Mentioning that an election mood is prevailing in the country and people want to cast their votes in a festive manner, Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said, "Those who are trying to take the election-bound people to a movement are living in a fool's paradise."

Quader said 90 per cent work on the Chandra flyover has been completed and it will be opened to traffic within the next two months.

On 13 October, BNP together with Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikya Prokriya, JSD and Nagorik Oikya launched the Jatiya Oikya Front to press for their seven-point demand, including holding the next polls under a non-party administration.