AL to accept defeat in fair polls: Quader

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said the next parliamentary elections in the country will be held in a free, fair and neutral manner under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his party is ready to accept defeat in such polls.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won’t influence the public opinion in the next Jatiya Sangsad polls . . . Awami League will accept any defeat,” he said while speaking at a discussion on the Golden Jubilee of DU Masterda Surja Sen Hall at TSC (teachers-Students Centre) auditorium on Dhaka University campus.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, categorically said the AL has no intention to grab the state power by using strength or muscle power.

“Rather, the Election Commission will get all sorts of cooperation under the supervision of the Prime Minister in holding a free, fair and credible general election,” he added.

Citing the instances of different developed countries across the world, the AL general secretary said the ruling party plays a key role in ensuring polls everywhere.

Quader confidently said the next polls, under the new election commission, will be held in a neutral and fair manner. About communalism, the minister said the fanatic forces are yet to root out from the holy soil of Bangladesh.

Vice-chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, Masterda Surja Sen Hall Alumni Association President Sirajum Munir and president of Dhaka University Teachers Association (DUTA) Prof Dr ASM Maksud Kamal, among others, spoke on the occasion.

Source: BSS