DHAKA, Oct 25, 2022 (BSS) - Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today urged the party leaders and workers to stand by the people badly affected by Cyclone ‘Sitrang’, claiming that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government will always remain beside the people.

He made this call while speaking at a press briefing at his Secretariat office here.

Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister said, BNP is a party whose leaders have honey on their mouths but poison in their hearts. 

Commenting that the BNP leaders talk about democracy but nurtures the practice of looting and opportunity, he said the BNP delivers the speaking of freedom but patronises anti-liberation and communal forces.

The AL general secretary said the BNP talks about the people’s rights to vote but the party held a voter-less polls on February 15 in 2006 and enlisted about 1.25 crore fake voters during their regime. 

Responding to the statements of the BNP leaders, he said the AL had waged a movement for the caretaker government to establish the people’s rights to vote and food but the BNP at that time opposed it. 

Quader said BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia then stated that none is impartial except children and mad, but the BNP leaders are now demanding that caretaker government.

Claiming that the BNP has stigmatized the caretaker government system, he said, “Why are they going backward now. Actually BNP is not farsighted but it is backward-looking one. Opposing blindly is the only tool of BNP”.

About the BNP’s take-back, the minister said the BNP’s take-back means spike of arson terrorism and corruption by Hawa Bhaban-Khuab Bhaban. 

“The BNP leaders now talk about electricity and foreign reserves. Do they have no shame?” he questioned.

Quader said those who plunged the country into darkness during their regime when there was constant power shortfall, are talking about electricity today.

Blaming the BNP leaders, he said the country’s people have not yet forgotten the cheating of BNP as they were deceived by providing poles in the name of electricity.  

The AL general secretary said there is no shortage of power generation in the country but there is a crisis of fuel which is prevailing all over the world. 

“There was not such crisis before. The government has brought cent percent of the country under the electricity coverage - but the government is still making all efforts to resolve the energy crisis,” he said. 

Quader said the BNP leaders are busy in criticising the government blindly without understanding the existing global situation, while they talked about the foreign reserve.

The amount of reserve during the BNP era was about US$ four billion only, while the country’s people witnessed a reserve of US$ 48 billion during the Sheikh Hasina’s government, he said. 

Currently the reserve is about US$ 36 billion, the AL general secretary added.