Refrain from telling lies

Ruling Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said yesterday that he wants to ask BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul to provide a list of BNP members who have faced torture.

Quader, who also serves as the road transport and bridges minister, made this statement after Fakhrul claimed on Thursday that 80 percent of BNP leaders and activists have been subjected to torture by the AL government.

Speaking at an AL event to distribute iftar and Eid gifts among the public at Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital, Quader said, "I will ask Mirza Fakhrul to refrain from spreading these falsehoods."

"Present the list of the 80 percent of BNP leaders and activists who have allegedly faced torture. Who are they?" Quader questioned. "Mirza Fakhrul, Mirza Abbas, and Amir Khasru -- all of them were released from jail one by one," he added.

The AL general secretary also stated that the people of the country have rejected BNP for engaging in "negative politics."

"BNP is becoming increasingly irrelevant day by day," he remarked.

"Before the elections, BNP had colluded with foreign powers, attempted to impose a ban on Bangladesh, and conspired to disrupt the polls," said Quader.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's focus on development, humanity, and inclusive politics has pushed BNP's politics into obscurity. They are now unable to emerge from this darkness," he said.

Quader accused BNP of spreading propaganda and falsehoods against the ruling AL, reports BSS.

                  "The AL is never subservient to any foreign power or state," he said. "Bangladesh is in our hearts and Bangladesh is in our spirits. That is what we hold dear."