US Congressmen call for consensus over polls

Two visiting US Congressmen, Ed Case and Richard McCormick, called for dialogue and consensus among political parties in Bangladesh to ensure a free and fair election, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Sunday after his meeting with them.
In response to the call, the foreign minister told them that reaching a consensus with the opposition parties became impossible as the opposition camp demanded resignation of the government.
"I have also sought to know whether the US government resigns before elections. Will they accept it?" the foreign minister told the reporters.
"The elections will be held as per constitution".

"I have assured them that our prime minister is committed to holding a free and fair election".
"But all the political parties should be sincere in this regard. Only the Election Commission and the government cannot hold a non-violent election if other parties resort to violence" the minister said
The foreign minister also said the Congressmen expressed concerns that Bangladesh drifted into the Chinese sphere of influence and the debt trap of China.
"But I have assured them that all these are propaganda and informed them that our debt to China is only one per cent, which is very insignificant", he added.
He told the Congressmen that psychologically Bangladesh is a democratic society and the private sector is dominating every area here.
The Rohingya issue also came up for discussion. The foreign minister told them that the US should take some of the Rohingya refugees into their country and provide them with employment.
"We are one of the most populous countries of the world and every year two million new youths join the race for jobs here. So the Rohingyas are becoming a huge burden" the minister said referring to his arguments in the meeting.
But they said it would not be possible for them to take the Rohingyas, the FM said.
"We have discussed the Indo- Pacific issue and I told them Bangladesh announced its own Indo-Pacific outlook highlighting a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region".
The minister said that recently visits by the officials of the US administration and public representatives increased and that it was good for Bangladesh.
"They were fed lots of false and concocted information by different quarters and they had the impression that Bangladesh turned into a dangerous place, where people were being killed by police frequently. But after coming here, they now know the truth," the minister opined.
The minister also told them that the US should come up with more investment in Bangladesh in sectors like pharmaceuticals as the prices of drugs in the US are very high.
He also urged them to grant the tariff-free access for the Bangladeshi products, which are made of US cotton.
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