DHAKA, Aug 31, 2022 (BSS) – Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today urged Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to test its popularity by joining the next general elections.
“Join the elections and vie for polls. You (BNP leaders) will see who get more votes and which parity is more popular. It will be clear,” he told a discussion here.

Bangladesh Krishak League arranged the discussion and doa mahfil at AL’s Bangabandhu Avenue central office marking the National Mourning Day.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, asked BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir why BNP founder Ziaur Rahman passed a bill in parliament to protect the killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“If I ask him (Fakhrul) this question, he does not reply…this year, the birthday of (BNP chairperson) Khaleda Zia was celebrated on August 16. We have no objection to holding a doa mahfil for her. But, the whole nation have an objection if the doa mahfil is arranged marking her fake birthday,” he said.

About the burial of the Zia’s body at Chandrima Udyan here, the AL general secretary questioned: “Zia was buried at Chandrima Udyan after his janaza. Can you give any photo of Zia’s body? Can you prove that Zia was in his coffin?”

Noting that those who are not able to overcome fears have no rights to doing politics, he said they are cowards while they did not get people’s response after shouting for 13 years.

Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government cut fuel price and there is no instance of reducing fuel price across the world but the BNP criticised it instead of thanking the government. “And this is the BNP’s politics,” he added.

AL joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, its organising secretary Md Sakhawat Hossain Shafiq and agriculture and cooperative affairs secretary Faridunnahar Laily, among others, spoke at the meeting with Krishak League acting president Sharif Ashraf Ali in the chair.

Krishak League general secretary Umme Kulsum Smriti moderated the meeting.