Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said it is not the responsibility of the government to bring any party to the election.
“The Election Commission is in charge of holding the election and the government [ruling] party is a party in the election like other political parties. It is not the responsibility of the government to bring any political party to polls,” he said.
The information minister said this while participating in the discussion on the proposal presented by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina under Rule 147 in the special session on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the National Parliament.
Mentioning that the general election will be held in the last week of December this year or the first week of January next year, Hasan said today there are various conspiracies to obstruct the elections and threats are being made not to participate in the parliamentary elections.
Elections should be held on time regardless of whether any party comes to the polls or not to keep democracy and parliament functional and to consolidate parliamentary democracy, he said.
“Fair, free and impartial elections will be held. All parties will participate in the polls. It is not the government's responsibility to invite someone and take them to the polls.”
He alleged that BNP is hatching various conspiracies to obstruct the polls.
In this connection, he recalled that BNP set fire to 500 polling stations to rig the 2014 elections. “Dozens of people killed. However, parliamentary elections were held. Parliament continues to run. The march of democracy continues.”
Hasan added, “Even today the conspiracy has started. A few days ago, the BNP MPs resigned to obstruct the progress of parliament and the parliamentary democracy by showing thumbs up to the House. They resigned to obstruct the democracy of the country.”
Jatiya Party MP Anisul Islam Mahmud said there might be a difference of opinion among the political parties.
“However, if you want to establish democracy in the true sense, if you want to make the parliament really work, there must be a discussion about the suffering of people in this parliament.”
He said there should be loyalty to the party but the state and people are above the party.
Referring to the next election, the former minister said the election should be acceptable to the people.
“Who will do it? It is said that it is not the responsibility of the government. I also believe that it is not the government's responsibility. It cannot be the government's responsibility to bring all the parties to the elections. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission.”
He said the Election Commission has to create that environment. “But the government should provide the necessary support to the Election Commission to create the environment. That is the responsibility of the government.”
‘Zia introduced marshal democracy’
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said BNP founder Ziaur Rahman established "marshal democracy" in the country instead of continuing the parliamentary democracy, reports BSS.
"After the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, the House was null and void and martial law was promulgated rejecting the parliamentary democracy," he said taking part in the discussion in the House.
Hasan said the House was turned into a "funny place" following an election held in 1988 where ASM Abdur Rab was made a domestic opposition party leader.
Even Begum Khaleda Zia had stigmatised the Jatiya Sangsad by electing Col Rashid, a self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in voter-less elections held on February 15 in 1996, said the minister who is a lawmaker from Chattogram-7.
"It is also a most disappointing thing that the residences of the Jatiya Sangsad speaker and the chief whip were transformed into prisons in 2007," said the ruling party leader in his address with Deputy Speaker Shamsul Huq Tuku in the chair.
Even a court was formed in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban for holding the trial of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who also was the then opposition leader in parliament, he said.
Those who did those evil activities need to be brought under book, said the minister.
The development and parliamentary democracy are closely related, said the information minister, adding, "If democracy cannot work smoothly, the development does not take place."
