DHAKA, Sept 4, 2021 (BSS) - Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said BNP’s call for mass movement is ridiculous as the leaders and workers of the party don’t respond to the call of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
“The call of mass movement doesn’t suit Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. . . the call for mass upsurge by Fakhrul with some Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal activists is ridiculous,” he told reporters.
Earlier, the minister addressed a seminar on Bangabandhu and golden jubilee of the independence and Press Council Award giving ceremony at Tathya Bhaban in the city’s Circuit House Road.
Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary, said BNP has been giving same statements of mass movement for the last twelve and a half years. In fact, the leaders and activists of the party (BNP) don’t give response to their call, he added.
Criticising another comment of the BNP leader, he said democracy has been established under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and multi-party and multi-dimensional democracy exists in the country. Multi-party including BNP is represented in parliament, he added.
The minister said Mirza Fakhrul is of the habit of telling loudly in every morning, afternoon and evening that there is no democracy and his (Fakhrul) unnecessary criticism proves that there is democracy in the country and there is freedom of speech.
About increasing the capability of Press Council, the minister said the law of the council would be modernized. Mass media witnessed a vast revolution in the last decade under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said Hasan.
In line with the progress, the capability of the Press Council would be increased. For this, work is going on to modernize the existing law, he added.
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Murad Hasan and Secretary of the ministry Md Mokbul Hossain addressed the function as special guests with Bangladesh Press Council panel chairman Advocate Syed Rezaur Rahman in the chair.
Bangla Academy Director General poet Nurul Huda gave welcome address while Press Council members Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and Noeem Nizam, addressed it as guests of honour.
Press Council member Syed Ishtiaq Reza presented a key-note paper in the seminar.
Late senior journalists Hasan Shahriar was given life-time award (posthumous) while the daily ‘Janakantha’ chief executive officer received institutional award on behalf of the editor Shamima A Khan and the daily ‘Purbokone’ of Chattogram editor Dr M Ramiz Uddin received regional institutional award.
Other awardees are the daily Bangladesh Pratidin former senior reporter Nizamul Haque Bipul for rural journalism, the daily News Today staff reporter Mazharul Islam Mitchel for development journalism, the daily Observer reporter Banani Mallik for women journalism and Bangla Tribune photographer Md Sajjad Hossain for photography.
