Prothom Alo, BNP complement each other: Quader

The ruling Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said Prothom Alo and the BNP complement each other.

"Their target is Sheikh Hasina, [their] target is the [fall of] government, target is people. The target is to foil the next election," Quader said.

He said Prothom Alo was trying to make people frustrated and provoke the young generation by presenting false news.

He made the remarks before a joint meeting of the party at the Awami League's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital today.

"There is no doubt that domestic and foreign conspiracies are intensifying the political crisis. There is no doubt that this news is false, fabricated, conspiratorial," said Quader.

"Taking a quote by bribing a seven-year-old child with Tk 10 is not journalism. Independence Day is a unique day to create a sense of patriotism in the young generation. Isn't publishing that news with the purpose of setting a special political agenda similar to denying the independence, the principles and achievement of the Liberation War?"

Prothom Alo's reporter Samsuzzaman Shams was arrested under the Digital Security Act and sent to jail on Thursday. A DSA case was also filed against Prothom Alo's Editor Matiur Rahman.

Stating that ridiculing the country's achievements on Independence Day is not just a mistake, Quader said, "This is not only an immoral act, but also a criminal offence. There is a clear provocation [in that report] to divide the nation and an attempt to implement the agenda of a quarter. Can the editor and publisher of Prothom Alo deny responsibility?

"Have the editor and publisher of this newspaper expressed regret or apologised for their alleged crimes? They showed extreme arrogance ... No one is above the law," Quader added.

Regarding the statement of Reporters Without Borders, he said, "This organisation says the government has filed such a case against the editor of Prothom Alo to intimidate the journalists. I would first like to say that the government did not file a case here. An ordinary citizen can also file a case."