No evil force will be tolerated: Quader

Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday said BNP is going to resort to terrorist acts in the name of 'black flag programme', but no evil force will be tolerated for the sack of the country's interest, reports BSS.

He made the remarks at a press conference at AL President's Dhanmondi political office in Dhaka.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the black flag progarmme of BNP is yet to be given approval by the Home Ministry and that is why the law-enforcing agencies will look into it, and the AL will resist the evil forces too.

"They (BNP) are the enemy of democracy and liberation war. After the killing of Bangabandhu, they gobbled up the real history of the liberation war, but they finally did not succeed," he said.

The AL general secretary said peaceful movement is the beauty of democracy, so the AL has announced a programme alongside the BNP's one.

On October 28 in 2023, he said, BNP men killed a cop in daylight and carried out attacks on the chief justice's residence, hospital and journalists, and the country's people have not forgotten it yet.

"We were attacked, but we did not conduct attacks. But we will not tolerate any evil force for the sack of the country's interest," he said.

Noting that nobody is paying heed to the intimidation of the BNP, Quader said the AL believes in democracy, but it will reply to the BNP's movement on the streets.

He said BNP tried to mislead the nation by bypassing the true history of the liberation war and spreading false information after the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, but its ill-attempt was not successful.

The history of Liberation War and the name of Bangabandhu are being lauded at home and abroad with respect, the AL general secretary said.

Pointing out to BNP Standing Committee member Moin Khan, Quader said killing Bangabandhu and four national leaders in 1975 and carrying out grenade attack on AL President Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004, BNP has proved that it is a party of anti-liberation forces - Razakar and Al Badr.

Moin Khan should seek apology to the nation for his hatred speech, he added.

About the price hike of essential commodities, the road transport minister said now the government's priority is to check price hike of essential goods and control the market.

Replying to a question, he said the government will take harsher steps, if necessary, to this end.

"Threatening someone with words will not resolve the problem. We have to go for positive action. Positive action should be taken against those responsible for this," he said.

Responding to another question about whether the removal of the party symbol from the local government elections is to resolve the party conflict, the AL general secretary said, "We have to take a strategy to resolve the conflict. We took a strategy in the general polls and gave the independent candidates a scope to vie."

AL organising secretaries BM Mozammel Haque, SM Kamal Hossain, Mirza Azam and Sujit Roy Nandi, its cultural affairs secretary Asim Kumar Ukil, health affairs secretary Dr Rokeya Sultana and deputy office secretary Sayem Khan, among others, were present.