'Grand alliance should respect opinions of small parties'

Lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha yesterday said the ruling grand alliance should respect opinions of the small political parties and hear the people's opinions before taking any important decision in the parliament.
“We are keeping a careful eye over the unity of the grand alliance while expressing our difference of opinion on any government's step, but the government should take decisions hearing opinions of the people,” said Badsha while replying to queries from the audience at meet the people programme.
He urged the government for setting up an Agricultural University at Rajshahi and providing a luggage compartment with passenger trains so that growers can carry their goods to Dhaka directly avoiding toll for crossing Bangabandhu Bridge by other vehicles.
The grand alliance is working for a common goal to establish a non-communal democratic country but the small parties have differences of opinions, said Badsha, also a politburo member of Workers Party.
Rajshahi chapter of Shacheton Nagorik Committee (SNC), a citizens' body run by Transparency International, Bangladesh, organised the programme at Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries auditorium.
Badsha, an MP from Rajshahi-2 (Rajshahi City) constituency, told the audience, “I am always for strengthening local government...and I believe the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) would not be free from the government's control unless it itself helps ACC.”
He opined that politicians should be free from corruption first before taking steps to stop corruption in the country.
The lawmaker said the government is careful enough to ensure security of people from extremists as it has unearthed that "Jamaat-e-Islami had a hand behind the rise of militancy in the country.”
He urged the people to remain alert as Jamaat and militants are together again to thwart trial against the war criminals.
Badsha said he is working for resuming Shah Makhdum Airport at Rajshahi, Sadar Hospital, setting up a modern mancha for theater artists and an art gallery in the city.
SNC Abdus Salam chaired the programme while its member Hasan Millat moderated it.
Rajshahi University teacher Dr Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan Sajal and former Rajshahi Education Board chairman Nurul Alam and Rajshahi Rakkha Sangram Parishad conveynor Zamaat Khan, among others, attended the programme.
Abul Kalam Azad, president of Rajshahi city unit Communist Party of Bangladesh, school headmasters SM Mahbubur Rahman and Gopesh Chandra Mondol, Rajshahi Unnayan Parishad conveynor Moniruzzaman, woman councillor Anwara Begum, indigenous leader Andrez Biswas, women activist Kolpona Roy, sports personality M Sharif, development activists Liakat Ali and Joytuna Khatun, among others, asked the questions.