Obaidul Quader rejects BNP’s demand of snap election
Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader Sunday rejected Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) demand about holding a snap election terming it as unreasonable.
Obaidul Quader made the comment while replying to journalists at a press conference at AL president’s office in city’s Dhanmondi.
Criticising the key opposition, BNP, Obaidul Quader said the party has deviated far away from reality and it has been proven that Bangladesh’s democracy is safe in the hands of Sheikh Hasina. The country’s development and prosperity depend on her.
Quader said as long as Sheikh Hasina remains in power, the country will never lose its path.
The AL leader said Sheikh Hasina can read people’s mind where BNP failed. As a result, the BNP has become isolated in politics.
‘Voting was fair in Mymensingh, Cumilla’
AL general secretary also spoke about the elections in Mymensingh, Cumilla and other local government elections.
The minister said elections were held to 231 local government bodies yesterday, Saturday, which saw voter's turnout around 60 per cent on an average. The polls were held in largely free and fair manner and the government didn't interfere in the polls.
He extended thanks to the election commission, law enforcement agencies and all the relevant bodies and people for holding the elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner. He also congratulated the winners of those elections.
Obaidul Quader said BNP leaders participated in elections in many places and some of them won.
BNP does not have any grounds to speak against the government regarding the election after this, he added.
‘US, France keen to work with Bangladesh’
About the recent report of the European Union (EU) on the 12th parliamentary election, the AL general secretary said the EU follows some policy as they maintain alliance with the western world. The tone of the EU's report is akin to the remarks made by the US.
But the government will put emphasis on the letters written by US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He said the two leaders expressed their willingness to work closely with Bangladesh.
A journalist asked Quader if he held any meeting with BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the US ambassador Peter Haas in Singapore.
In reply, Quader said, “I heard they went there but I didn’t have any meeting with anyone.”
AL’s organising secretaries BM Mozammel Haque, SM Kamal Hossain, Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan, Afzal Hossain, Sujit Roy Nandi and office secretary Biplab Barua, among others, were present at the press briefing.