Next polls as per constitution, iterates Quader

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Tuesday iterated that the next general elections would be held in line with the provisions of the Constitution, issuing a fresh warning to the BNP that there is no scope of bargaining to this end.

“I will ask the BNP not to bargain to this end. No result will be found after bargaining. The government will not go out of the constitution. It will support the Election Commission in the same way that elections are held in other countries of the world,” he told Awami League’s joint meeting at its central office.

The ruling Awami League organized the meeting with its associate bodies’ presidents and general secretaries as well as presidents and general secretaries of the AL city North and South units at its central office in city’s Bangabndhu Avenue.

Speaking at the meeting, Quader also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said that the BNP should take preparations for next general elections and there is no alternative to the polls in changing the state power.

“If the people vote for you in the next general elections and elect you, we will lose. But, we will always be in favour of fair elections,” the AL general secretary added.

“With the confidence of the people, we will hold free, fair and credible elections. As per the people’s mandate, we will ask the BNP to join the polls without bargaining here and there,” he said.

About the allegation of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir over the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the next general elections, Quader said, elections are being held in many countries of the world using the EVMs.

"Do you want to manipulate the elections? There is no more modern method than this EVM system to avoid election engineering and forgery. Why would you object? Why should the government resign? What wrong we have done?" he questioned.

The AL general secretary said the BNP and its alliance made shouts during the last general elections but the party finally joined the dialogue after making water troubled, and took part in the polls.

The BNP leaders are talking about the same thing this time too but they know very well that they have to join polls because of the BNP's existence, he said, adding "They (BNP leaders) have no alternative to joining the polls".

Responding to the statement of Fakhrul about the attack on LDP's secretary general in Cumilla, Quader said the law enforcement agencies will take action after proper investigation into the incident.

He said during the tenure of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, no one is involved in any kind of misdeeds and irregularities got spared. "No one will be spared here either, there is no doubt about it," he added.

The AL general secretary said the people's perception is that the BNP secretary general is suffering from political hallucinations being blind for power.

The AL does not believe in the ill-politics of planned attacks from the highest levels, carrying out terrorist attacks, grenade attacks, arson and terrorism, he said.

"The path of terror is chosen by those who stay away from elections losing confidence in the ballot. Conspiracies are the tools of those who do not walk on the path of democracy and look for the secrete lanes to grab state power," Quader added.

Noting that the people have already rejected the ill-politics of BNP, he said the politics of Sheikh Hasina's development and progress has unmasked the politics of BNP's falsehood.

AL joint general secretary and Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, AL joint general secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, organising secretaries Ahmad Hossain, Mirza Azam, Afzal Hossain and Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel, cultural affairs secretary Asim Kumar Ukil, publicity and publication secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, office secretary Barrister Biplob Barua, finance secretary Wasika Ayesha Khan, science and technology affairs secretary Abdus Sabur and deputy office secretary Sayem Khan were present, among others.