Politics
JaPa to stay away from JS till Quader recognized as opposition leader
Jatiya Party have announced they will stay away from Parliament till the speaker recognises GM Quader as the leader of the opposition instead of Raushan Ershad.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the party’s parliamentary party on Sunday after a discussion with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury where she offered no hint of a positive decision in this regard coming soon, said Khandakar Delwar Jalali, JP press secretary.
Jatiya Party’s parliamentary party has decided GM Quader will be head of their parliamentary delegation and informed the matter to the speaker in writing, he said.
Read more: JP seeks to remove ailing Raushan as leader of opposition in Parliament
Currently, Raushan Ershad is the opposition leader who has been abroad for a long time for medical treatment with GM Quader as her deputy.
Earlier on September 3, the parliamentary party proposed to make GM Quader the opposition leader of the parliament instead of Raushan but the speaker is yet to take a decision in this regard.
The 20th session of the current parliament that began Sunday will continue till November 6.
Read more: PM’s gesture to Raushan in JS, enquires about her health
Fakhrul slams Quader for making personal attack, accuses AL of plundering public money
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday slammed his ruling party counterpart Obaidul Quader for what he said making personal attack and said the people know it very well how the Awami League leaders prospered from rags to riches.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, he also said many of the party’s leaders are doing politics with their own earnings or by selling their ancestral property.
The BNP leader alleged that Quader made some objectionable comments about him on Saturday going beyond all moral decency.
“He (Quader) attacked me personally and said we get money from Dubai and I am lying on money. I would like to tell Obaidul Quader, don't push us too hard. Earthworms can come out of the soil while digging,” he warned.
Fakhrul said everyone of Bangladesh knows what the Awami League leaders do and how they make money. "The people of this country know what you have been doing since the creation of Bangladesh. You are going from rags to riches overnight."
He said the people of Bangladesh also have all information about who among the ruling party leaders are making the second homes in Canada, Singapore and Malaysia and who are siphoning off money abroad in many ways.
"We also know who own how many banks and who made how many houses in America…this is the money of taxpayers of this country. You’re looting that money,” the BNP leader taunted.
Fakhrul said this is very unfortunate that the general secretary of a major party made personal attack on his counterpart in an indecent manner. "If you attack on a personal level, you will not be able to deal with it. One day the information about how you plundered public money will be revealed."
Earlier on Saturday, addressing a rally organised on the occasion of the triennial council for Dhaka district AL in the city's Sher-E-Bangla Nagar area, Obaidul Quader alleged that Mirza Fakhrul is receiving funds from foreign countries to launch movements against the government.
"We have received information that Fakhrul is receiving money from Dubai," he added.
Trashing Quader’s allegation, Fakhrul said, “We do politics by selling our ancestral property. We don't do politics with anyone's money. The people of our party and our every member are giving their own money to hold our rallies. This is our characteristics.”
Criticizing the AL general secretary for his comment that their Saturday’s rally was much bigger than that of BNP's in Rangpur, he said the ruling party brought people to their programme by vehicles and using public money, but it could not fill 22,000 chairs kept at the venue. “So, you determine how many people gathered there.”
Fakhrul also questioned as to why the ruling party stop transport movement, let loss its cadres and attack opposition activists to obstruct BNP’s rallies if the party is so stronger.
‘BNP will swallow the entire country if it returns to power’
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader today said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will swallow the entire country if it returns to power.
“(When the party was in power) BNP ate up the foreign exchange reserves of the country. The economy was also ruined. The values of the Liberation War were not honoured either. The ideals of freedom were nonexistent,” he said.
Quader made the remarks at the triennial council of Dhaka District Awami League which was held today at the capital's Sher-E-Bangla Nagar old trade fair ground.
Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said that Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves were less than USD 5 billion when BNP left office.
He said from that position, the foreign exchange reserves went up to USD 48 billion during the tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.
Read: Dhaka AL Council: Benzir named president, Poniruzzaman GS
Due to the ongoing global crisis, the reserves came down to USD 36 billion, he said, adding that not only Bangladesh but also the whole world is facing an acute financial crisis.
Comparing their council with BNP's rally in Rangpur, Quader urged BNP general secretary Mirza Fakhrul to see how many people turned out at the district council even without the presence of Sheikh Hasina.
"Most activists who attended the BNP rally passed their time under the open sky as they arrived two-three days ago. But Mirza Fakhrul was living it up on a bed of money. The more programmes he can arrange, the more money he can make. Money is coming from Dubai," he said.
He said 10 lakh people will turn out at the AL rally in Chattogram to be held on December 4 where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend.
Read more: AL is not obstructing BNP rally, says Obaidul Quader
Freedom fighter Benazir Ahmed was announced the president of the new committee at Dhaka AL triennial council while Ponirujjaman Tarun was named general secretary.
Dhaka District Awami League triennial council was held last in September, 2016.
Dhaka AL Council: Benzir named president, Poniruzzaman GS
Benzir Ahmed has been made president of Awami League’s Dhaka district unit while Poniruzzaman Torun was named general secretary.
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader announced their names during the triennial council of the party’s Dhaka district unit on Saturday.
Thousands of Awami League followers, activists and leaders of Dhaka and adjacent areas turned out at Dhaka’s Sher-E-Bangla Nagar old trade fair grounds to attend the council.
People started arriving at the venue from 12 pm. It was full to the brim within 2 pm.
Read more: Work to gain people’s confidence: PM to AL councillors
BNP rally begins defying transport strike in Rangpur
Thousands of leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies joined the party's divisional rally in Rangpur on Saturday (October 29, 2022) defying a transport strike.
The rally organised by Rangpur city unit BNP, formally began on Rangpur Collector Eidgah ground, around 12pm, two hours before the scheduled time, as the venue has already been packed with opposition activists.
An adequate number of police and other security officials have been deployed around the rally venue and at different points of the city to prevent any untoward incident.
Read more: Thousands gather in Rangpur city to join BNP’s anti-govt rally
The organisers said the rally was meant to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government--a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not allow it to happen.
After forming govt in 2001, BNP-Jamaat hired militants to carry out killing missions: Sajeeb Wazed
PM’s ICT Adviser c has written that immediately after forming the government in 2001, BNP-Jamaat men started massacring Awami League leaders and activists, including killing, torturing, extorting, looting and raping women.
In a post from his official Facebook page, Sajeeb Wazed wrote that they even hired militant groups to carry out killing missions across Bangladesh.
“The Khaleda Zia government used to communicate with the militants through eight BNP leaders under the direct guidance of Tarique Rahman,” the post reads.
Many members of the police force were forced to collaborate with the militants due to political pressure from some ministers at that time, Sajeeb Wazed’s post adds.
“Leaders in the BNP government used to send money safely to militants through police personnel,” he wrote. Even if the police arrested JMB militants sometimes, they’d be forced to let them go due to pressure from the government or special orders would come from the higher levels of the government to grant them bail from the court, his post reads.
Thousands gather in Rangpur city to join BNP’s anti-govt rally
Thousands of BNP activists and leaders on Saturday gathered in Rangpur city to join an anti-government rally amid allegations of using the transport owners and workers by the government to enforce a strike in the region.
A 36-hour transport strike began on Friday morning, but the opposition party is all set to hold its fourth divisional rally in Rangpur.
But the ruling party in Rangpur has denied any involvement with the transport strike.
Party leaders and activists have erected a stage at the Rangpur Collector Eidgah ground where the rally is scheduled to begin at 2pm on Saturday.
Several thousand leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies from different districts under the division started reaching rally venue from Friday afternoon as they used alternative modes of transport.
Read more: BNP set to hold 4th divisional rally in Rangpur Saturday
Though bus communication remained halted between Rangpur and the rest of the country since Friday morning, BNP activists from eight nearby districts were seen coming to different areas adjacent to the city by small vehicles like human haulers, auto rickshaws, three-wheelers, motorbikes, and micro-buses a day before the rally.
AL expects huge turnout in Saturday Dhaka district council in capital city
The triennial council of Dhaka District Awami League will be held on Saturday at the capital's Sherbangla Nagar old trade fair ground.
AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader has hinted that the event will see a huge turnout bigger than BNP's rallies.
Enthusiasm has been observed among the leaders and workers of the party, he said.
Dhaka district consists of 5 upazilas- Savar, Dhamrai, Dohar, Nawabganj, andd Keraniganj.
Bangladesh Awami League presidium member Advocate Kamrul Islam will inaugurate the council while the general secretary of the party Quader will be present as the chief guest.
Read more: No one can destroy Awami League: Hasina
Dhaka District Awami League triennial council was held last September 2016 while Benazir Ahmed, the freedom fighter, was appointed as the president while a 71-member Dhaka District Awami League committee was formed with Mahbubur Rahman as the general secretary.
Due to the Corona pandemic, the council was scheduled to be held in 2019 but was not held on time.
Banner-festoon-posters have been hung in different places of the upazilas.
AL is not afraid of BNP's rallies: Quader
Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said his party hardly cares about BNP's public rallies.
Quader made the comment while speaking at a press briefing at his official residence here.
In reply to a statement of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, he said there is no reason for the government to be shaken by the turnout at BNP's rallies.
"The BNP was unable to gather one lakh people despite targeting 10 lakh. Pepple see huge public gatherings at the AL's ward- and thana level council in the city, which were reported in media. This is the actual senario of BNP's rally."
He said the AL will play game against those who want to play with the fate of 17 crore people.The game will be played against Hawa Bhaban, looting, money laundering and corruption, and against those who created 1.25 crore fake voters and the vote thefts.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the game will be played against those who opposed the country's development and those who patronised communal forces and who do not believe in the spirit of the Liberation War.
Quader said BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia once stated that none is impartial except the insane and the children.
Read:AL is not obstructing BNP rally, says Obaidul Quader
"So, do you want elections under a caretaker government led by madmen or children? The BNP leaders who are blinded by the lust for power can only seek that," he said.
Quader said there is a constitutional body - Election Commission (EC) - in the country and the election will be held on time under it while the government will only cooperate with the Commission.
He also said the elections will be held in the country the way polls are being held in democratic countries of the world, not under any person or party.
"Do you (BNP) remember how much you left in the reserve?" he asked, adding that when BNP quit power, the country's foreign reserve was less than US$ five billion," he said.
"Has the government gulped the reserve money or has it spent the reserve for the development of the country and the welfare of the people through import expenditure?, he asked.
Quader said from that level, the foreign reserve increased to US$ 48 billion during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.
Due to ongoing global crisis, the reserve came down to US$ 36 billion from US$ 48 billion, he said adding, not only Bangladesh but also the whole world has been facing this crisis.
"The reserve during the BNP's era was zero. Now how do they (BNP leaders) talk about reserve? The government will be able to import for the next 5 to 6 months with the current reserves," the AL general secretary said.
About Fakhrul's advice to transport owners and workers over the transport strikes, he said hundreds of vehicles were vandalised, petrol bombs were thrown on cars and transport workers and earnings of transport workers were stopped forcibly by the BNP.
Quader said the BNP men had made transport owners' and workers' families destitutes and they did not forget the BNP's arson attacks and terrorism.
Quader said that the transport owner workers are not of any particular party, there are people from all parties here.
He recalled the BNP leaders and said that the President of Transport Owners Association of Awami League, General Secretary from Bangladesh Somajtantik Dal, BNP leader Shimul Biswas is also the Senior Vice President of Bangladesh Workers Federation. Ask him why the strike?
Owners Association composed of all parties, Jatiya Party is the president there, General Secretary Awami League supported, all other parties are represented, - Obaidul Quader urged BNP leaders to talk to them and ask them why they are afraid of you, why they can't forget the painful memories 2013-14, ask them.
No room for arson criminals in politics: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said though BNP now can hold its political programmes freely, the arson attackers who burned people alive will be apprehended and given proper punishment.
“Since we believe in democracy, now BNP can arrange meetings, processions and all programmes freely…. But the accused who were involved in such killings, arson violence and militancy will have to be apprehended and given appropriate punishment. Because, they violated human rights and killed people burning them alive,” she said.
Hasina, also the President of Bangladesh Awami League, said this while chairing a meeting of her party’s central committee at her official residence Ganabhaban.
Read: Convey misrule, brutality under BNP regimes: PM tells expat Bangladeshis
Referring to arson violence indulged by BNP-Jamaat in 2013-2015, she said they killed people burning them alive, launching arson attacks everywhere including trains, buses, launches and even CNG-run auto rickshaws.
She said the perpetrators have been hiding, but they would come out as BNP is waging movement on the streets.
“They tortured the people. There will be no room for them. The law will take its own course. The law is equal for all,” she added.
The PM said there will be no room for the politics of terrorism and militancy in this country. “We’ll not allow it,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said her party came to power working for the people and winning their hearts and it still has been able to hold the public trust.
“We came to power with votes of the people and their trust. We’ve been upholding the trust of this country’s people for the last 14 years…. Rather Bangladesh Awami League has attained larger popularity in this time,” she said, asking her party’s leaders and activists to go forward maintaining this achievement.
She said the people don’t believe in those who were terrorists, killers, perpetrators of 10-truck arms-haul incident, grenade attackers and who launched bomb attacks simultaneously in 63 districts.
“The people of Bangladesh will never stand beside them and never vote for them as well,” she said.
Talking about the Payra seaport construction, the premier said the project has been implemented with own money drawn from Bangladesh Infrastructural Development Fund which was formed with money from the country’s foreign reserves.
She said the money has been given to the Shipping Ministry at 2 percent service charge and it will pay back the money with the 2 percent interest. So, it will not affect the reserves and rather it will also make a profit from it, she added.
About the energy crisis, the PM said the government is taking steps on how energy can be imported to meet its deficit here in Bangladesh.
In a recent meeting with food importers, she told the businessmen clearly that the government can import energy if they are ready to purchase it at international prices.
The government has no capacity to provide additional subsidy here as it’ll have to provide Tk 46,000 crore as subsidy to purchase foods. Now some Tk 86,000 crore is needed to provide subsidy to agriculture, power and energy sectors, she said, adding that the government has taken measures to enhance solar energy in the country.
PM Hasina asked AL leaders and activists to raise her government’s successes and achievements, development plans and misrules of BNP regimes before the people.
AL triennial council to be held in simple manner amid crisis:
She said Awami League perhaps is the only party that follows its charter and arranges its council regularly as well as works for the people.
She said AL triennial council will be held in December next and they would form a committee to implement the council in Friday’s meeting.
The AL president said this year the council will be in simple manners at a low budget as part of exercising austerity amid the economic crisis.