Govt doesn’t care about sanction, visa policy: Quader

At a time when a senior US diplomat is in the city, road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader has reaffirmed that the government does not care about any sanctions or visa policies.

“I have nothing to say about the arrival of the US assistant state secretary. Why is there so much fuss about the visit of a country’s assistant state secretary?” he asked while talking to reporters at the secretariat on Tuesday.

Quader, also the Awami League general secretary , referred to BNP, saying “I do not know if the BNP cares or not (about the US diplomat's visit). They externally show no care about many issues, but do actually.”  

Regarding the ongoing movement against the use of Indian products, he said the BNP men declared to boycott Indian products. Is it really possible? Is it possible to boycott Indian spices?

The minister clarified that imports of clothes, daily necessities will continue and alleged that the BNP had made it an issue in absence of anything else. 

Making fun of repeated deadlines of BNP movements, the Awami League leader said, “The BNP boycotted the elections, and they now have to talk only about the movement. Their like-minded parties are now speaking about a movement after the hot weather abates. Some day, they will talk about holding a movement after Eid-ul Azha.” 

He observed that two recent rallies of the opposition block in Dhaka were flops. Their activists are now frustrated and are not getting involved in any movement. 

About the proposed value added tax (VAT) on metro rail, he said, “No countries in the world have 15 per cent VAT on metro rail. As a minister, I spoke to the prime minister in this regard, and she assured me of addressing the issue.”