Oikya Front should reconsider decision on oath-taking: Quader

FE Team | Published: January 03, 2019 00:06:27

Awami League (AL) general secretary Obaidul Quader said on Wednesday Jatiya Oikya Front should reconsider their decision to refrain from taking oath, report agencies.
"They are elected in people's votes. We expect, they'll show respect to people's mandate. If they don't join the oath-taking ceremony, it'll be the manifestation of negligence to people's mandate," he said.
The AL leader came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla at the Secretariat.
Referring to the incident of gang-rape of a woman at Charjubli in Subarnachar upazila in Noakhali, Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said, "No one will be spared whoever the
culprits are."
"I've heard about the incident. It didn't take place in my constituency but in Noakhali. However, such incident is not acceptable. The culprit must be punished. No one of those who're guilty will be spared. I know the attitude of our leader," he added.
"Already, I talked to the Inspector General of Police. The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) also visited the spot. The government will take a strong stance against the culprits over this incident," he added.
Responding to a question about the arrest of a journalist in Khulna, he said he is yet to know about that.
Responding to another question about the size of the new cabinet, the minister said, "We've no idea about it. The prime minister will decide."
In response to a question on how AL secured win in all the constituencies in Noakhali though it is a BNP stronghold, Quader said once there was organisational weakness of his party in the region and after he took charge as the general secretary of AL, the party successfully overcame the limitation.
If Jatiya Oikya Front tries to unleash any violence in the name of movement that will be handled with an iron hand, he said.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Nasim, a spokesperson for the Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance, has urged the BNP and its allies who have won seats in parliament to take office instead of making a hot-headed decision.
"The Oikya Front should come in with whatever they have. I hope that they join parliament and do not repeat their past mistakes. A lot of damage has been done because of those mistakes," he said.
The AL leader came up with the remarks while speaking at a press conference after a meeting of 14-party alliance leaders on Bangabandhu Avenue in the city on Wednesday.
In Sunday's 11th parliamentary election, the AL won 259 seats while the Grand Alliance it leads secured 288 seats. On the other hand, the BNP won five seats and its alliance member Gono Form two.
The BNP and the Jatiya Oikya Front have rejected the parliamentary election result, alleging widespread irregularities in voting and vote rigging.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul has indicated the BNP candidates who won may not take office.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader also called upon the rivals to not repeat the past mistakes and take their oaths on Tuesday.
Nasim urged the BNP to return to a 'positive politics' instead of submitting a memorandum for a fresh election to the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain urged on Wednesday the elected BNP MPs to accept people's verdict and take oath.
"It will not be wise to reject the people's verdict. Though they (BNP) are less in number, they can talk in favor of people. If BNP refrains from going to parliament, they will do a mistake," he said.
The minister made the comments while talking to reporters at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
Replying to a query about how Jatiya Party and BNP will play an effective role in parliament, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain said, "It's possible to play an effective role by 30-35 parliament members of Jatiya Party and BNP as the opposition."
The minister also said the people cast their votes in favour of the development after realising the propaganda and false assurances given by BNP.
Asked, if there is any possibility of becoming a minister again, he said, "I don't know. The prime minister will take the decision."
Mentioning that his ministry has many successes in last five years, Mosharraf said they have made many developments in the housing sector. "Earlier, the government housing was only eight per cent which is now around 30 per cent."
Besides, works for constructing 543 apartments for Mirpur slum dwellers is going on in full swing, he said.