No discomfort with US stance on polls: AL

Staff Reporter :
Ruling Awami League on Friday said that the government was not in the slightest discomfort with the US statement on the January 7 national polls.

“We have a relationship with the United States. We are patient enough to make the relationship better.

And US ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas talked about taking the relationship with Bangladesh forward,” AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said this at a press conference at the AL president’s office at Dhanmondi in the capital.

Earlier, in a statement, Washington had said that the 12th general election in Bangladesh were not free or fair.

Obaidul Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister said, “BNP’s non-participation in the election was part of a conspiracy against the country’s sovereignty.

Even after the election, the evil forces under the leadership of BNP are trying to make the election controversial while the people have participated in it.”

The AL general secretary also warned that some local and foreign forces are trying to install an unelected person in power in an undemocratic way.

He said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has proved that an election is possible under an elected government. If BNP had participated in this election, it would have been more competitive. However, the polls were not voter-free and uncontested in the absence of the BNP.”

Obaidul Quader said, “The BNP is now gathering strength for major violence in the country. I suggest them that they should engage in positive politics discarding negative politics.”

“The government is now busy with resolving the remaining problem of the country. We don’t have time to waste on the crisis,” Obaidul Quadaer said.

AL Organizing Secretaries BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam, Afzal Hossain, Sujit Roy Nandi and Office Secretary Biplab Barua, among others, were present at the press conference.