Family members of war criminals or anti-liberation forces cannot be the members of Awami League (AL), Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Thursday. He came up with the comment at an exchange of views meeting with the newly elected officials of Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters’ Forum at his secretariat office.
Mentionable, the ruling Awami League has decided to launch its member collection campaign at district, and upazila levels on July 1. “I would to like make Awami League’s stand clear over the issue. No family members of war criminals or anti-liberation forces would be allowed to enroll their name with the party,” Quader, also, AL general secretary, said, adding imbued with spirit of War of Liberation and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Awami League has a policy and ideology in this regard.
“We will never compromise with our ideology and policy as the party believes it will weigh in on political affiliation of the prospective members. As it is a question of morality and spirit of Liberation War, we can’t compromise with family members of war criminals and anti-liberation forces,” Quader said. Quader made the comments while replying to queries of reporters about a large number of leaders and workers of AL having background connected to war criminals and anti-liberation forces.
He said during the primary member collection campaign, Awami League will assign priority to the new members’ political affiliation rather than family background. "We will not recruit bad people in party. Identified criminals, extortionists, land grabbers, communal and anti-liberation forces cannot be members of Awami League," he told reporters.
He added the assigned the party leaders and workers have already been ordered not to recruit dishonest, corrupt people or anti-liberation elements in the party in the name of increasing the number of its members The party men asked them to take the campaign from door to door by listing how many people become members from which families, how many become new members or how many old members renewed their memberships, how many do politics for other parties and how many people are neutral.
