Ruling party general secretary sees BNP key barrier to institutionalisation of democracy

Ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Tuesday said de facto opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party is the key barrier to the way of giving democracy an institutional shape in Bangladesh, reports state-run news agency BSS.

He was talking to newspersons after paying homage to Shaheed Noor Hossain, who was killed in a police firing on a pro-democracy procession on this day in 1987, on behalf of the party in the capital’s Noor Hossain Square at Zero Point.

“Today democracy is freed. But, unless democracy gets an institutional shape, it is not possible to make it well-established in the true sense of the term. BNP is the key barrier to give an intuitional shape of democracy,” he said.

Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said a non-communal, progressive and liberal democratic Bangladesh must be established to materialise the dream and aspirations of the 3 million martyrs.

Taking a dig at the BNP, the AL general secretary said the talks of democracy do not suit the party that was born by patronising the killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and holds the spirit and ideology against the Liberation War.

“BNP’s democracy was ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote. And in the polls, there was no box for ‘no’ vote. On the day, some polling centres received 110 per cent votes,” he said.

Quader urged the BNP to return to the path of democracy and positive trend of politics shunning the evil acts of hatching conspiracy to thwart the democracy.

“Stop ill politics to grasp the state power through backdoors. Let us work in unison to build a non-communal, progressive, democratic and developed state for the next generation,” he said.

Turning to the significance of Noor Hossain Day, the minister said with his supreme sacrifice, Noor Hossain lit up a fire in the minds of the people to wage movement against the autocracy. His body was a living political poster on that day, he added.