Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said BNP joined the by-polls to make the government and the Election Commission (EC) questionable as they staged ridiculous drama in the name of taking part in the election, reports BSS.
“After failing in democratic practice, BNP becomes a party of complaints in the last one decade. Failing in election and shifting the liability of their failure in election to the government and the Election Commission has become regular activities of BNP,” he said.
Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, was addressing a discussion arranged by Awami Swechchhasebak League marking the birth anniversary of Sheikh Russel at Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in the capital. He joined it through a videoconferencing from his official residence on parliament premises.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government and Awami League are determined to protect and keep intact the democratic rights of the people.
The AL general secretary said BNP leaders’ comments and behaviors centering the election made the people frustrated likewise the pervious times.
After failing in the by-polls to both seats– Noagaon-5 and Dhaka-5– in big margins, the BNP leaders made irresponsible comments in their usual style, he said.
“We also witnessed in the past that when election comes, BNP starts doing different ill strategies and carrying out evil efforts instead of going to the doorsteps of people,” he said.
Sensing their obvious defeat in polls due to their political failure, he said, BNP used to make confusing and misleading comments to destroy the peaceful atmosphere of election and carry out evil efforts to spoil the enthusiasm and eagerness of the voters by raising allegations repeatedly.
The people also witnessed BNP’s such traditional evil political strategy in the by-elections to Naogaon-5 and Dhaka-5 on Saturday, he added.
Describing August 15, 1975 carnage as more horrific than the Battle of Karbala, Quader said even little Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, could not escape the massacre.
He said Russel possessed humanitarian qualities and he attained the lessons of mixing with people liberally from his family.
During the Liberation War, little Russel had to lead a captive life with other family members, he said, adding that during the captivity, they had to lead miserable life having no proper food and other necessities.
The minister said Sheikh Russel was a very meritorious, prudent and sharp boy.
“Even during his childhood, he had strong patriotism and ‘Joy Bangla’, the slogan of Bangalee’s struggle for freedom, was instilled into his mindset. The name of Sheikh Russel remains in the history Bangalee’s struggle for independence,” he said.
He said the August 15 carnage was the world’s most barbaric killing as the world humanity was stunned at the horrible incident.
“The memory of little Russel will always remain in our hearts,” he said.
AL Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, State Minster for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russell and Swechchhasebak League General Secretary AKM Afjalur Rahman Babu addressed the discussion with Awami Swechchhasebak League President Nirmal Ranjan Guha in the chair.