Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Monday said BNP is trying to create political unrest by exploiting the issue of the BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s illness.
Quader, also general secretary of the ruling Awami League, made the remark while addressing a view exchange meeting with two city mayors, councillors and party leaders of Awami League's Dhaka north and south units in connection with the observance of the Mujib Year and the Golden Jubilee of Independence at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka.
"BNP is continuously issuing fictitious statement over the health issue of Begum Khaleda Zia. BNP leaders will have to answer to their own party for making such fabricated statements," Quader said.
Mentioning the comments of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir that Awami League will be no more if Khaleda Zia dies, Quader said: "Actually he [Fakhrul] wanted to say that BNP will no longer exist if Khaleda is no more."
The question of the non-existence of Khaleda Zia and BNP can be interlinked, he said.
Awami League has emerged from the core of the people, so, the party will remain alive as long as the country exists and its red-green flag flies in the sky, he added.
Criticizing the BNP leaders for creating confusion over the treatment of the BNP chief, the AL leader said BNP leaders themselves will eventualy have to give explanations before the party for this “excessive politics”.
“The people of the country are also considering that Khaleda Zia's treatment has fallen prey to BNP's excessive politics.”
Refuting Miza Fakhrul's other statement where he claimed that Khaleda Zia has been “slowly poisoned”, the ruling party general secretary said since Khaleda Zia is surrounded by BNP men, her housemaid and her own physicians, so how Awami League will slowly poison her. “So, it is a ridiculous matter.”
Remembering December 6, 1990, Quader said the dictatorship led by General Hussain Muhammad Ershad was ousted on this day.
“Although the dictatorship was toppled, the enemies of the Liberation War and democracy are still active in the country. These enemies are continuously working against the development and stability. They want to destroy the stability of the country, they are trying to fish in troubled water by creating communal unrest,” he said.
"These evil forces are involved in hatching conspiracy at home and abroad," he observed.
Quader further said: “We have to get united and strengthen the hand of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina against these evil forces."
Giving instructions to the party leaders-activists for observing the golden jubilee of the independence and the Mujib Borsho in a befitting manner, he said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will administer oath to the nation in the afternoon on December 16.
The view exchange meeting was attended, among others, by Awami League presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Joint General Secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and Dr Dipu Moni, Organizing Secretaries Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Shawpan, BM Mozammel Huq, Mirza Azam, SM Kamal and advocate Afzal Hossain, Office Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua, Dhaka North City Mayor Atiqul Islam, Dhaka South City Mayor Barrister Fazle Noor Taposh, Dhaka north and south city Awami League leaders and all city councillors.
On Victory Day, leaders and activists of Awami League will pay tribute at Bangabandhu Bhaban and Savar .
A colourful program will be held on the premises of the National Parliament on December 17, where guests from home and abroad will attend.
In addition, the ruling Awami League will bring out a colourful rally from Shikha Chiranton to Bangabandhu Bhaban at 2.30pm on December 18.
