Remarks personal

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday said the remarks made by Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque on the arrest of BNP leaders and proposal over releasing them on condition of joining the upcoming polls was his "personal" opinion, reports UNB.
"His (Razzaque) whole remarks were personal," he told reporters on Monday, adding that the Awami League is not such a party which will pardon someone's crimes simply to bring it to the election.
The AL leaders said Awami League is not a bankrupt party and it will never give such a bizarre proposal to the BNP or any other party that breaks the party rules or destroys Awami League's commitment to democracy.
Reiterating his party's commitment to uphold democracy, Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said such a proposal was neither given by the government nor the party.
He referred to the killing of a policeman at broad daylight, attacks on the Chief Justice's residence, arson attacks and vandalism of public and private properties.
Twenty feet of rail track was removed by BNP-Jamaat workers, seven coaches veered off the tracks and almost 400 vehicles were burnt in 42 days by BNP-Jamaat, said the government source.
Asked about any possible party actions against such remarks, Quader said it is the decision to be taken by the party. "You can't intervene."
In a separate briefing, Abdur Razzaque said it was not a party statement. "Certainly, it was my personal remarks. I said these personally."
Dr Abdur Razzaque Monday clarified the remark he made during an interview with a private television channel regarding BNP leaders' participation in the upcoming election as a "condition" for their release from jail.
"The Election Commission has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of deferring the election date if BNP agrees to participate. If BNP decided to join the polls, will it happen with him in jail? There would have been negotiations. After the formalities, they would have been released through the legal process. There are many legal experts in the Election Commission," he said while speaking to reporters in his office at the Secretariat today. "If BNP agrees, the election date can be deferred to create a conducive environment. That is what I meant," he said.
He also said that a lot can be achieved through dialogue for an acceptable election.
"Bangabandhu, who was supposed to be hanged in the Agartala conspiracy case - where did that case go? He secured bail in just one day. There must have been discussions and formalities for that to happen," he said.
In an interview given to Channel 24, Razzaque said that BNP leaders and activists have been "kept in jail" to prevent violence in the country.
"BNP turned down an opportunity to take part in the upcoming election," he said.