Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud has asked the independent candidates of his party to maintain discipline.
He said that the independent candidates who are in posts in different capacities of the party should be aware of party discipline. “There have always been independent candidates in polls and many of them are elected. However, the independent candidates of our party who are holding posts must maintain the party discipline,” he said.
The minister said this while talking to journalists after submitting his nomination paper at DC office in Chattogram as an AL-nominated candidate for Chattogram-7 constituency.
AL Chattogram North district unit vice president and Ranguniya upazila chairman Swajan Kumar Talukder, AL Chattogram city leader Iftekhar Saimul Chowdhury, Zila Parishad panel chairman Abul Kashem Chisti, and Boalkhali upazila chairman Rezaul Karim Raza among others, were present.
Dr Hasan Mahmud said that a festive mood has started prevailing across the country centering the polls and different political parties have declared names of their candidates. Out of 44 registered political parties, thirty parties are taking part in the upcoming polls while many other unregistered parties are also taking part in the election. The polls will be held in time, he added.
He said that BNP-Jamaat’s call for boycotting the election becomes fade as a festive and joyous mood is prevailing across the country after the declaration of poll schedule.
Replying to a query over BNP’s announcement of toppling the government, the minister said that BNP leaders made themselves ridiculous by making such funny declarations. The BNP leaders have been giving such threats of toppling the government for long, he said.
He also said conspiracies are being hatched at home and abroad when the country is moving ahead. “But our government's policy is 'friendship to all and malice to none'. We work with the policy and we have good relations with all. We want to take the country to its dream destination with the cooperation of all development partners.”
