Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday warned ministers and MPs of her party not to use their influence in the upcoming upazila elections.
She issued the warning while chairing the meeting of the Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) at the meeting room of ruling party at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
She said that those who will defy the party’s instructions and fielded their family members and relatives in the upazila elections, they will have to stay with their families in the future.
Who they want to bring to power ousting me: PM Hasina wonders about leftists
“They will not get the people's vote,” an Awami League MP who was present at the meeting quoted Hasina as saying.
She gave instructions to her party’s deputies to provide all-out support to the administration to make the Upazila Parishad elections free, fair and impartial.
Addressing the AL MPs, the prime minister said that it's bad that the relatives of the MPs are participating in the upazila election.
“It's not right for them to do that. What the party activists will do? Leaders and activists need space and respect,” another MP quoted her as saying.
The prime minister indicated actions against those who are participating in the upazila elections defying the party’s instructions.
An AL MP said that the prime minister told them that the party belongs to everyone.
“Everyone should be given a chance. Awami family should be made bigger. It is not good that only relatives of AL MPs will vote in the polls. If this is the case, you will not get votes in the future,” the AL MP quoted the party chief.
Referring to the twelfth parliamentary elections, the prime minister said that the voting this time was the best after 1975. She wanted such vote in upazila too.
Awami League president, who is also the leader of the House, also spoke about the independent MPs.
Addressing the party MPs, the prime minister said, many have participated in the polls independently with my permission.
“Don’t make any trouble for them," she said.
PM Hasina to discuss outcomes of Thailand visit at media briefing today
The PM also said that she will also sit with independent MPs and other political parties.
AL lawmakers--Salahuddin Miyaji, Mohit Ur Rahman, Religious Affairs Minister Faridul Haque Khan, Draupadi Devi Agarwala, Farzana Sumi and Anima Mukti Gomez also spoke at the meeting.