House will not be dissolved if BNP MPs resign: Quader

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said the country’s parliament will not be dissolved if BNP lawmakers resign.

“If they (BNP MPs) resign, there will be nothing in the House,” he told a meeting at the AL League President Sheikh Hasina’s political office in capital Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area on the occasion of the upcoming AL’s 22nd national council.

Responding to a question from reporters, Quader said the AL is not holding any counter rally as the date of the AL conference was scheduled earlier and it was a regular process.

He said AL President Sheikh Hasina have given her directives ahead of the upcoming national conference, while a sub-committee will be formed on conference preparations.

“The AL never holds any counter rally. There is no issue of counter with BNP. The Awami League National Conference and other conferences are a regular process. What will we do if the dates of the AL’s and BNP’s meetings match to each other?” the AL general secretary questioned.

He said the ruling AL did not create any obstacle to any meeting of BNP. “The transport people are afraid of BNP and that’s why they called strikes,” he added.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the BNP’s rallies get paralysed without militancy and communal forces.

Blaming that BNP is the main patron of communal forces, he said if the BNP resorts to arson terrorism again, it will be resisted by the people. Arson terrorism will not be allowed in any way, he added.

He said BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is now staying at her home after getting released by the mercy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The BNP leaders and activists could not hold a rally demanding Begum Zia’s release, Quader said.

From now on, he said, AL President Sheikh Hasina will join public rallies outside the capital.

The AL general secretary said she will be present physically at two meetings per month.

Due to coronavirus pandemic, the AL president could not attend public rallies in person for a long time but she completed all the tasks virtually, he said.

The conferences of AL’s affiliated organisations will be held before the party’s national council, Quader said the AL President has given instructions on the conferences of the AL associated bodies.

Before the AL’s national conference, he said, the conferences of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and other affiliated organisations will be held.

“We are monitoring…the dates (of the conferences) will be fixed through consultations,” the AL general secretary said.

AL presidium members Kazi Zafar Ullah, Dr Abdur Razzaque, Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Faruk Khan, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Adv Md Qamrul Islam, its joint general secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Dr Dipu Moni and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, organising secretaries Ahmad Hossain, Abu Saeed Al Mahmud Swapan and SM Kamal Hossain, publicity and publication secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, office secretary Barrister Biplab Barua, deputy office Sayem Khan and executive member Sahabuddin Farazi were, among others, present.

Source: BSS