Staff Reporter :
General Secretary of Awami League Obaidul Quader on Monday requested the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders to take part in the upcoming Upazila Parishad election scheduled to be held in March.
“We want BNP to participate in the next Upazila Election. If BNP participates in the election, then upazila election will be an attractive one. I believe that BNP will reconsider their decision about not joining in the UP election,” he said. Obaidul Quader, who is the Road Transport and Bridges Minister also, said this in a press briefing in his Ministry office on Monday.
It is to be mentioned that BNP was victorious in the first phase of the last UZ polls, Obaidul Quader said and, therefore, the party should not despair.
“The election could have been competitive had BNP decided to contest the polls,” he said.
Assuring that all efforts will be taken to make the election acceptable, the minister again called BNP to change its stance and join the election.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s invitation to all the 75 political parties, including BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront, Quader said “It is not a session for formal talks only, it is for exchange of a greetings also. However, there could be some talks in the interval.”
“It is up to them whether they would come or not. There could have been further discussions based on the talks,” he said.
The Jatiya Oikyafront declined Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s February 2 invitation to join a tea party, citing that no agenda was mentioned in the invitation.
Blasting Oikyafront’s rejection to PM’s invitation, Quader said, “The way they (Oikyafront) responded to PM’s invitation does not coincide with democratic norms. It is the continuation of their habitual negative politics.”
“That’s why they have been rejected by the people,” he said.
