Dhaka: Awami League advisory council member and industries minister Amir Hossain Amu on Thursday said Bangladesh people will give Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) a lesson in democracy by giving their mandate to Sheikh Hasina in the 2019 parliamentary election.

“Earlier they were given lesson twice. If even then they did not take lesson, Inshallah, the people of Bangladesh will give the lesson of democracy giving their mandate for Sheikh Hasina in the next election,” he said while addressing as the chief guest at a rally in the capital.

AL Dhaka south city unit arranged the rally at Bangabandhu Avenue marking the January-5 as the Victory Day for Democracy. AL came to power for the second consecutive term through the January-5 parliamentary elections held in 2014, which was boycotted by BNP and its allies.

Pointing at BNP, Amu alleged that they now want to make the waters troubled and kill people in the name of movement again like they killed innocent people in 2014 and 2015 by indulging in petrol bomb attacks.

They will not be allowed to commit genocide and disrupt development in the country anymore, he added.

Talking about January 5, 2014 election, the industries minister said if it was not possible to arrange the election on that day, a constitutional vacuum would have been created in the country.

“They could not stop the election because the people of Bangladesh were in favour of Sheikh Hasina, independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh, and democracy,” he said pointing at BNP-Jamaat.

Mentioning different successes of the present government in the education, health, food and environment, the AL advisory council member said now Bangladesh is marching forward resisting those who wanted to create constitutional vacuum interrupting the continuation of democracy.   

AL Presidium Member Dr Abdur Razzak said his party will extend its all-out cooperation to the President in formation of next election commission as per the constitution.

“I hope that President will form a strong and independent Election Commission to arrange a neutral, free and fair election which will be credible to all,” he said.

He said AL president Sheikh Hasina will be in power during the next election as per the constitution. “We will give all-out cooperation to the EC as well (in conducting the next general election in 2019). The administration, all departments of the government will also cooperate with the EC,” he went on.

Pointing at BNP, Dr Razzak said they failed to wage any movement after 2015, but they killed foreigners by militants in scattered ways.

The overall situation of the country is now normal. The whole world applauds the development of Bangladesh, he added.

The AL presidium member said, “I’m an optimistic person. My firm belief is that BNP will not indulge in violence anymore even by making mistake in the future unlike they did in the past. If they engage in violence, they will have to give high payment. We will resist them as we did in the past.”

AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said it was possible to continue constitutional process, democracy and development of the country as the election was held on January 5, 2014.

He said BNP now say that the voting rights were snatched. But the fact is that they took all measures to snatch the voting rights of the people on January 5, 2014.

“It is BNP-Jamaat who can be blamed for snatching voting rights,” he said.

About the BNP’s programme to mark January 5 as the democracy killing day,

Hanif said BNP men did not dare to take to streets to enforce the programme of Begum Khaleda Zia anywhere in the country. The people of the country did not let them to enforce any programme, he added.

AL general secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader was present at the rally but did not speak on the occasion.

AL Dhaka South City unit president Abul Hasnat Abdullah presided over the rally, while AL Advisory council members Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Mozaffar Hossain Paltu, AL leaders AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh MP, AKM Enamul Haque Shamim and Shahe Alam Murad were, among others, present.