Staff Reporter:
Awami League (AL) General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday said it has been possible to carry out massive development in the country due to the con-tinuation of the government.
“Because of the continuation of the government, it has been possible to make massive develop-ment in the country,” he told a press conference at AL President’s Dhanmondi political office here.
Quader said now Bangladesh has become a role model of development in the world.
The country’s people are very dear and near ones of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She stood be-side the hopeless people of Bangladesh and organized the Awami League after returning home in 1981, he added.
About BNP’s criticism over BAKSAL, the AL general secretary said Ziaur Rahman became mem-ber of BAKSAL by applying to Bangabandhu but now BNP leaders, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, is criticizing BAKSAL.
Turning to BNP’s anti-India campaign, he said media reports show that now BNP is thinking of reconsidering their campaign against India.
BNP now wants to take middle way regarding India issue, he said.
Noting that there is no lack of democracy in the country, he said criticism of the government is going on both inside and outside the parliament while the government is not repressing or oppress-ing any party or group.
In terms of democratic practice, Bangladesh stays in a position better than many countries of the world, he said.
About barring the journalists from entering Bangladesh Bank, Quader questioned in which coun-try, one can enter the central bank freely.
“Can anyone enter Indian Federal Bank freely? You (journalists) have to know the information. Everything has been given on website. So, why would you enter the bank?” he said.
About the falling of forex reserve, he questioned how much dollar BNP had kept when their tenure ended. It was only three billion plus reserve.
“Now the foreign reserve is 19-20 billion. Is it lesser? Now our export earning is rising and remit-tance inflow is also increasing. If these increase, reserve will also increase,” he said.
AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Organizing Secretaries Mirza Azam and Sujit Roy Nandi, Science and Technology Affairs Secretary Abdus Sabur, Liberation War Affairs Secre-tary Mrinal Kanti Das and Deputy Office Secretary Sayem Khan were present, among others.
