Foreigners' directives over democracy not to be allowed: Quader
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Friday said the directives of foreigners will not be allowed as democracy continues in Bangladesh following its proper norms.
"We will continue our democracy. The orders of foreigners will not be allowed to this end," he said at a function at the Awami League's Bangabandhu Avenue central office in the capital.
"The talks of democracy do not suit the BNP that destroyed democracy [in Bangladesh]," Quader said at the party event to distribute warm clothes among the cold-hit people.
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Quader said Sheikh Hasina is trying her best to flourish democracy in the country despite having various obstacles.
Terming the obsolete caretaker government system a "dead issue", he said the next general elections will be free, fair, neutral and participatory while the government will discharge its routine work during the election.
Urging the BNP to join the next polls if it wants to change the government, the Awami League general secretary said standing beside the people during any disaster constitutes the seven-decade history of the ruling Awami League.
"The Awami League never hatches a plot, rather it has become the victim of conspiracy. The Awami League does not believe in the politics of killing but it has fallen victim to such politics time and again," he said.
Claiming that there is no democracy in the BNP, Quader said, "How will the BNP teach democracy to the Awami League? A record of fake voters was made during its era. The BNP enlisted about 1.23 crore fake voters, which was one of the reasons behind the 1/11 changeover."
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina led all the democratic movements of the country while the democracy was unchained after 1975 under her leadership, the Awami League general secretary said.
Chaired by Awami League relief and social welfare secretary Aminul Islam, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Awami League health and population affairs secretary Rokeya Sultana.
