Hasan urges BNP to participate in polls to test popularity

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud has urged the BNP leaders to take part in the upcoming polls to test their popularity.

"Please don‍‍`t escape from the games of polls. Take part in the elections and test your popularity. Make a test to see whether you get 10 percent votes. We don‍‍`t want to walkover in the next polls. Participate in the polls and we want to win the game through playing," he said.

The minister was addressing a memorial meeting on the Sirajul Islam Degree College ground in Boalkhali upazila of Chattogram on Saturday.

Awami League south district unit organised the meeting in memories of former president of the unit and lawmaker Moslem Uddin Ahmed and AL Boalkhali upazila unit chairman Freedom Fighter Md Nurul Alam.

Hasan said BNP is afraid of for two reasons -- one is polls and another is countrymen. In fact, they became mad after the announcement of the US visa policy as they couldn‍‍`t talk of resisting or boycotting polls, he added.

They (BNP) must participate in the polls, he said.

Criticising a comment of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the minister said Ziaur Rahman ran ‍‍`steam roller‍‍` during the elections of 1979 and BNP cadres were brought down with locally-made weapons including sticks and iron rods in the Chattogram city. Awami League bagged 33 to 34 percent votes in that polls though the party was not allowed to cast their vote properly, he added.

He said BNP burned about 3,500 innocent people and of them, 500 people had died. They torched about 4,000 vehicles and public properties and carried out attacks on police, he said, adding that for this, BNP is afraid of the countrymen.

He said BNP will carry out attacks on people again as they know that they would not win in the polls. They will try to create a special situation by anarchies in the country, he added.

But, the countrymen would not allow them to do that, said Hasan.

He said there are differences between AL root level leaders and other party leaders. Everyone can understand the difference through the life and works of Moslem Uddin Ahmed and Nurul Alam, he added.

The minister assured the dwellers of Boalkhali upazila of continuation of the ongoing development.

He said blocks have been placed on the bank of the Karnaphuli River to prevent the erosion. A vast development has taken place at all sectors of the upazila, he added.

He said the construction of Kalurghat Bridge has been approved in the primary level of ECNEC. Final approval will be given soon as the prime minister is looking into the matter with more importance, said Hasan.

AL Chattogram city unit organising secretary Noman Al Mahmud, MP, AL Chattogram south unit acting president Motaherul Islam Chowdhury, general secretary Mafizur Rahman and former president SM Abul Kalam, among others, addressed the meeting with AL Boalkhali upazila unit president Nurul Amin Chowdhury in the chair.