Political Desk

Sharply criticising BNP leaders’ comments over pourashava polls, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday said the pourashava polls are being held in the country in a fair and peaceful manner with spontaneous participation of common people.

“A huge number of voters were present in the second phase pourashava polls on Saturday last. Even, 70 percent votes were cast in some pourashavas while the overall turnout was more than 61 percent,” he told reporters at the meeting room of his ministry at the secretariat here.

The minister said the turnout in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) was more than 57 percent though there were many comprehensions among the people about the EVMs.

Hasan said there were some untoward incidents which were unacceptable. “But, however, the voters’ turnout was widespread. Nineteen people were killed in local polls in India in 2018. Compared to that, the poll was held in peaceful manner in our country,” he added.

He said 46 Awami League candidates won in the second phase polls and Awami League got more than 60 percent votes while BNP got 18 percent votes. Only two candidates of BNP won in the first phase of the municipality polls while four candidates won in the second phase, he added.

“The statements, after the polls, of BNP secretary general are normal. They are giving such statements to cover up their weakness after being rejected by the people of the country in the first and second phase`s polls,” said Hasan, also AL joint general secretary.

The minister urged the BNP leaders to take their work plans through realising the reality as they become isolated from the masses and their organization became weak in upazila-pourashava levels. And only then, BNP will be benefited, he added.

He congratulated BNP candidates who have won in the pourashava polls.

About violence, the information minister said vehicle of AL candidate in a pourashava in Sylhet was vandalised by BNP activists and many workers of AL were injured. BNP has carried out attacks in many places and various incidents have taken place in different areas among the rival candidates, he added.

Replying to a query over revel candidates, Hasan said earlier decisions have been taken as per the constitution against the revel candidates. And now, decision will also be taken about the revel candidates, he added.

In another query about Mirza Abdul Quader, the minister said he (Mirza Quader) was elected with getting huge votes and he got three times more votes from his nearest rival candidates of BNP and Jamaat. For this, Mirza Quader deserves congratulations, he added.

About a recent comment of the foreign minister of the Unites States, the minister said the US should more focus on eliminating their internal terrorism and racism. There has no existence of Al-Qaeda in Bangladesh, he added.

He said it is really regretful when the foreign minister of the USA gave such statement unknowingly. The foreign ministry on behalf of the government has strongly protested the statement. In today’s reality, the way of violence, which was occurred in the United States and people were killed in the attacks on Parliament, was never happened in the country (Bangladesh) or in any of the neighboring countries, he added.

He said, as per the information of FBI, violence could be spread across the US on the day when the president-elect of the country will swear on. “It is our combined responsibility and aim is to suppress terrorism in other countries of the world. But, in the present context, I think they (the US) need to pay more attention to their internal terrorism and racism in the United States,” he added.

Replying to a query about a doa mahfil of BNP and Jamaat at a hotel, Hasan said, “We have always told that BNP, which has been rejected by the people, and some other groups in the country are hatching conspiracies against the government. At last, we saw that they arranged the doa mahfil as a part of their conspiracy. It is really regretful and they did such conspiracy earlier also. But they would not get any benefit from this,” the information minister said.