Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that BNP has destroyed the democratic culture, democratic structures, and institutions of this country. Due to their anti-democratic politics, the democratic march of this country has repeatedly stumbled. He said this in a statement given to the media on Monday. Obaidul Quader said BNP leaders including Mirza Fakhrul talk about establishing democracy! They will establish democracy in the country by not going to the elections and by throwing arrows of lies and criticism of the democratic institutions and by continuing the undemocratic practices of the party! What do people believe? “Following the footsteps of Zia, BNP gave the nation a farce election in Magura and Mirpur Marka by-elections, February 15 without voters,” he said. It is not unknown to the countrymen. In the mouth of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam, the illegal party formed by usurping power by illegal and unconstitutional means, the talk of democracy and voting rights is nothing but the name of Ram in the mouth of ghosts. Awami League General Secretary said, ‘The founder of the party is an unconstitutional and illegal military dictator, the party which was founded from the pocket of the military dictator, what democracy will that party give to the people of the country? Therefore, the talk of democracy and movement in the mouth of the BNP is a joke to the nation. Mirza Fakhrul Islam is the general secretary of such a party that he seems to have forgotten when the party’s last conference was held. There is no democracy within the party, how will they establish democracy in the country again? He also said, ‘The dictator Ziaur Rahman destroyed the country’s democratic values and electoral system in the name of yes-no vote in 1977 to ax the power by illegally occupying the post of the army chief, chief martial law officer, and president. On June 3, 1978, the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges said, “If I ask Mirza Fakhrul, what kind of democracy did dictator Ziaur Rahman establish?” Ziaur Rahman usurped the presidency by forcibly removing Justice Sayem at gunpoint. Zia’s democracy was a curfew marca democracy. Obaidul Quader pointed out that Zia systematically strangled democracy and destroyed the democratic culture. The BNP founded by dictator Zia continues to carry the ideological political legacy of thwarting Bangladesh’s democratic march. BNPE is the main obstacle to the implementation of the underlying ideals of democracy in this country. Awami League is determined to empower the people and uphold the democratic spirit. The government led by Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina is working relentlessly to institutionalize democracy gradually. The voting rights of the people of this country have been established through long struggles and sacrifices under the leadership of the Awami League. Awami League under the leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina has been playing the highest role in protecting the right to vote. We expect that the next national elections will be held in a free, fair, transparent, impartial, and peaceful environment, expressing hope, the general secretary of Awami League said that the people will exercise their right to vote spontaneously and the state power will change based on the opinion of the people.
