Failing to connect with the people, BNP is trying to gather people to attend their rallies by offering them money, said Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.

Quader said this in the first triennial conference of the Cumilla city unit of Awami League at Cumilla Town Hall on Saturday.

"Barishal has turned into a city of money because BNP hired people giving them money," Quader said. "But they hold a grudge when we talked about the money of Mirza Fakhrul."

Read more: AL trying to snatch votes again, just like they did in 2014 and 2018: Fakhrul

The ruling party leader said that BNP always talks about the disastrous state of the country. “I think BNP itself is a big disaster,” he retorted.

The minister also said that Sheikh Hasina must return to power to save Bangladesh. “If Sheikh Hasina survives, Bangladesh will survive,” he added.

Quader also commented that people laugh when BNP talks big about load-shedding because people experienced 17-18 hours of load-shedding during BNP regime.

He said that BNP’s dream of toppling the government on December 10 and returning to power would not succeed.

Mentioning that AL will play with BNP, Quader said, “Game is on against vote thieves, corruption and misrule. The game is on against the killers of 15 August.”

AKM Bahauddin Bahar, lawmaker of Cumilla-6 constituency and a central leader of the ruling Awami League, presided over the meeting while presidium member of the party Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim spoke as the chief guest.

Read more: Triennial conference of Cumilla city AL begins

Mahbubul Alam Hanif, joint general secretary of Awami League, and Abu Saeed Al Mahmud Swapan, organizing secretary of the party, among others, joined the council.