Ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader said on Tuesday that they were waiting to see how the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party occupied Dhaka streets.
‘Awami League will take positions on streets across the country holding the red and green flag [National Flag],’ Quader said, addressing a ‘peace and development rally’ at Keraniganj near Dhaka.
The Dhaka district unit of the Awami League organised the rally.
He said that the Awami League would not bow down to anyone.
Quader, also the road, transport, and bridges minister, warned that BNP would be given a befitting reply if any AL activists were attacked.
Speaking about the imposition of the United States visa restrictions, Quader said that Bangladesh would run following its own constitution and would not care about the restrictions of any country.
‘They [US] could not defeat us in 1971, and they could not halt Sheikh Hasina today by imposing restrictions. We do not care about anyone’s restrictions,’ he said, adding that no one was paying any heed to US restrictions, even countries like Venezuela, Gabon, and Sudan.
He said that many first-world countries ignored the United Nations’ restrictions.
‘America imposes restrictions, and BNP spreads fear. What an astonishing thing! It seems that America has appointed BNP to show fear,’ he said.
He said that the BNP was doing politics over the former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s health issue, as they could not launch a movement for 48 minutes to free Khadela.
Chaired by AL’s Dhaka district unit president Benzir Ahmed, AL presidium member Qamrul Islam, its joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, and organising secretary Mirza Azam, among others, spoke at the rally.
