“We’ve reached a consensus that we, the Grand Alliance, including the 14-party, will contest the election in alliance and form the government together,” said Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader.
He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after a dialogue between the 14-party and Sammilito Jatiya Jote at the Prime Minister’s official residence Ganobhaban.
Quader said there will be equation in the ruling alliance on the basis of political polarisation.
He said Jatiya Party also agreed with the 14-praty to hold the election as per the law and the Constitution.
He also said they did not take any decision about the seat shearing with Jatiya Party as it will be finalised later after a small-group discussion. “It’s not a problem.”
The AL general secretary said a positive and constructive discussion was held in a very cordial atmosphere.
Replying to a query, he said no one can distract the government from the path of the Constitution by putting pressure in the name of movement.
Emerging from the dialogue, Jatiya Party Co-chairman GM Quader said if BNP joins the next general election, their party will contest the polls as a component of the Grand Alliance. "If all parties don’t participate in the election for any reason, we'll field candidates in all the 300 constituencies," he said when asked what Jatiya Party will do if BNP finally boycotts the polls.
GM Quader said they agreed that the election will be held in line with the present Constitution. The discussion was held in a very cordial atmosphere, he added.
The JaPa leader said they assured that their party will continue the intimacy with the Awami League and 14-party alliance as it did in the past.
The Jatiya Party leader also said the matter of seat sharing will be disposed of through a small-scale negotiation later.
In her introductory speech at the dialogue, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the country’s ongoing development trend will continue through a meaningful general election. "There’ll be the continuation of the development trend through a meaningful election," she said.
Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina led a 23-member 14-party delegation while Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad a 32-member team of the Jatiya Jote at the talks that began around 7:15 pm and ended around 9pm at the Prime Minister's official residence Ganobhaban.
Describing vote as the rights of citizens, the Prime Minister said the country’s people will certainly exercise their voting rights.
She said it is Awami League which struggled for long to establish people’s voting rights.
She mentioned that the responsibility of the politicians is to work for people’s welfare and the Awami League government has been working to this end.
Sheikh Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman developed the war-ravaged country soon after the Liberation War and turned Bangladesh into a least developed one only in three and a half years of his tenure.
Following his footprint, she said, the Awami League government has worked for the socio-economic uplift of the people for which Bangladesh has now been established as a developing country.
The Prime Minister thanked the Opposition in Parliament, Jatiya Party, for cooperating with the government in unleashing development.
Jatiya Party Senior Co-chairman and Opposition Leader in Parliament Raushon Ershad, its Co-chairman GM Quader, Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Presidium Member and Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud were among the Jatiya Jote delegation memebrs.