AL's has single demand, polls under Sheikh Hasina: Quader

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday iterated that the next parliamentary elections will be held under the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in line with the country's constitution.

"One dream of BNP has expired and now it is dreaming of another. What are you (BNP leaders) dreaming of? Is it Sheikh Hasina's resignation? They (BNP) have one-point demand.

We too have one-point demand, our one-point demand is that the next election must be held as per constitution, keeping Sheikh Hasina in power," he told a peace rally of Dhaka South and North City units of Awami League at Baitul Mukarram South Gate this afternoon, protesting BNP's terrorism and anarchy.

Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said: "BNP's one-point demand is the resignation of Sheikh Hasina. Our one-point is that there will be no election without Sheikh Hasina."

BNP leaders know that they will be defeated in the elections and they will be washed away by the popularity of AL President Sheikh Hasina, he said.

"So they envy Sheikh Hasina...Sheikh Hasina's mistake is that she is committed to building Smart Bangladesh by 2041," the AL general secretary said.

Quader said foreigners want free and fair elections in Bangladesh and the AL wants it too, but any party, which would try to halt polls, will be resisted.

Chaired by Dhaka South City AL president Abu Ahmed Mannafi, the rally was addressed, among others, by AL presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Dr Abdur Razzaque, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram, Qamrul Islam, Dr Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, AL joint general secretary and Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, organising secretaries Ahmad Hossain, BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam, SM Kamal Hossain and Sujit Roy Nandi, Dhaka South City mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapash, Dhaka North City mayor Atiqul Islam, AL publicity secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, education and human resource affairs secretary Shamsun Nahar Chapa, Dhaka North City AL president Sheikh Bajlur Rahman and Bangladesh Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain.