Quader asks AL activists not to become party enemies
Bangladesh Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said there will be nobody to save Awami League (AL) if the party becomes its own enemy.
"On the other hand, there is none to stall our journey towards development if we remain united," he said.
Quader said this while addressing the representatives' meeting of Chittagong City AL at a community centre here this afternoon.
Referring to recent Union Parishad elections in Banskhali upazila, Quader said united strength of the grassroots leaders and activists of AL in the upazila shows that there is no power to defeat the AL in the next general elections.
He urged the leaders and workers to get united forgetting all intra-party feuds and grouping as the national election is going to be held in the next one and a half years.
Mentioning that AL's current agenda is to make the people happy, Quader also urged the party activists to offer apology to them for their misbehaviour, if any.
He further said there is no shame in offering apology to the people by the real party men. He also said the achievements of Sheikh Hasina and the country's development activities cannot be held hostage due to misdeeds of a few people.
Terming BNP an issue-based party, Quader said now they are capitalizing on anti-Indian issues and earlier they had created a lot of issues, but the people did not pay any heed to those.
Quader ruled out the possibility of striking any agreement with neighbouring India harming the national interests. "We have positive relations with India. If we make any agreement it will be for the sake of the national interest," he added.
Criticizing BNP, Quader said BNP leaders went to the Indian embassy with sweetmeats after Narendra Modi became the prime minister of India. "Besides, the BNP leaders went to the American embassy with sweetmeats thinking that Hillary Clinton will become the president of United States," he added.
He said the BNP is now hatching conspiracies for creating newer issues on the upcoming general elections.
Referring to giving recognition to the Qaumi Madrasa certificate, Quader said the AL led government did not go into agreement with any Islamic party; rather it has brought the Madrasa education in the mainstream.
"We have not made any agreement with any Islamic party but we have brought an education system in the mainstream by recognizing it. Reorganization and agreement are not the same thing," he added.
Terming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a wonder of the world and role model of development and achievement, Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain said the development and achievements accomplished so far must not be faded away for misdeeds of a handful of persons.
"We won't let the image of the government and party tarnished for them because the achievement of Sheikh Hasina is the achievement of Bangladesh," he added.
AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said BNP won't take risk of cancelation of its registration with the Election Commission by not participating in the election.
"The constitution and election will not wait for anybody ...the last general election could not be postponed for anybody and the next general election would also not be halted for anybody," he said.
Presided over by president of Chittagong City AL and former Mayor ABM Mahiuddin Chowdhury, the session was addressed, among others, by AL PUBLICITY Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud, MP, city mayor and general secretary of Chittagong City AL A J M Nasir Uddin and representatives of different wards and thana units of city AL.
AL central organizing secretaries - Enamul Hoque Shamim and Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and AL Deputy Office Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua, AL leader Sabhia Musa MP, MA Latif, MP, veteran AL leader Ishak Mia, among others, attended the function.