DHAKA, July 22, 2018 (BSS) – Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the next general election will be held as per the constitution and there is no scope to accept any condition set by anyone.
“The next election will not be held accepting any condition set by anyone or any political party. It will be held as per the constitution. There is no necessity of holding any dialogue in this regard,” he said at a press conference at his ministry’s meeting room at the Secretariat here.
He rejected the four conditions, including release of convicted BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, placed by pro-BNP intellectual Professor Dr Emajuddin Ahmed for BNP’s participation in the next election.
Referring to the Election Commission’s (EC) plan to declare the schedule for the next parliamentary polls in October, Quader said a poll-time government will be formed any time in October.
A small cabinet will be formed with the participation of the political parties having representation in parliament, the AL general secretary said, adding that there is no scope to include anyone from outside parliament in the poll-time government.
BNP had earlier said they will not participate in the election without Khaleda Zia, but now they are saying that they will resist the election, the minister said, adding: “We apprehend conspiracy and sabotage by BNP to foil the upcoming polls. However, we will resist the conspiracy taking the people with us”.
At the beginning of the press conference, Quader discussed different aspects of the reception accorded to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday and said it is for the first time in the history that there was only one speaker, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at such a gala programme.
“In the function, I just read out the citation,” he said, adding that through this discipline, it has been proved that Awami League is a well organized, disciplined, smart and modern political party.
Considering the public sufferings, the mass reception programme was held on Saturday, the AL general secretary said.
“However, I express my sorrow, if there was anything unpleasant during the programme,” he said.