Road Transport and Bridges Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today (October 05, 2023) said that he was not wrong when he said “a lot is going on behind the scenes.”

He said this while exchanging views with journalists at the conference room of the Road Transport and Highways Department, at the Secretariat.

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Regarding his earlier remark that there has been some “agreement or consensus”, Quader said, “The issue of rumours and propaganda in our country has become rampant. According to rumours, the relationship between Bangladesh and the United States has deteriorated. Such rumours and misinformation have spread widely. This is not desirable at this time.”

“Don’t you understand what I said? No one was aware for a week about the meeting with the US security adviser. So, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes, and I wasn’t wrong,” Quader added.

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During her recent visit to Washington DC, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her daughter took a selfie with Joe Biden. That was being discussed. There was still some talk. Reaching consensus behind the scenes means improving relations. That’s what I meant,” the AL leader clarified.

When pointed out that many are taking the “behind the scenes” expression negatively, he said, “If anyone wants to take it negatively, it is up to them. At public rallies, people want excitement… which is why exciting words like “toley toley”, “khela hobe” are used.”

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Responding to a question on relationship with China, Quader said, “China has a role to play in our development activities. We can’t bypass that. We are taking their help.”