A political party is instigating students’ demo: Quader

Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said legal actions will be taken against those instigating students to take to the street. 

"A political party is instigating students to take to the street. Legal actions will be taken against the instigators by scrutinizing video footages," he said while addressing a BRTA programme on road safety and mass-awareness raising at Manik Miah Avenue here.

Quader questioned why movement is being staged at midnight even after the students' demand for road safety and half fare in buses have been accepted and why any incident is quickly being spread live on facebook page of Basher Kella (a page run by radicals).

Presenting data on several road accidents in recent time, the minister said road accidents cannot be accepted by any means and these are very much sorrowful.

Mentioning that different questions and allegations have been raised over the death of a student in an accident at Rampura, he questioned from where hundreds of people went to the scene within 10-12 minutes at midnight and how the news of the accident had spread within 10-12 minutes.

He said news of death is very much saddening.  "We have taken different initiatives to avert road accidents. We have also accepted the demand of students for their half fare in buses," he added.

The minister said: "I think the reasons behind movement for road safety are not illogical. When the students are concentrating on their studies after stopping their movement, political instigation is being carried out to take the students to streets. It is very unfortunate."

Quader urged the students, waging movement, to go back to their respective campuses and concentrate on their studies as they have already faced a huge loss in their academic life due to coronavirus pandemic. 

Pointing to BNP leaders, the AL general secretary said their leader was the mastermind of the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15 in 1975. 

After the assassination of Bangabandhu, the perpetrators wanted to run the country with Pakistani ideology spoiling the spirit and values of the great Liberation War, he said. 

"Bangladesh was run with the Pakistani communal ideology until Awami League assumed office in 1996," he said. 

Quader questioned what BNP leaders did for their party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. They kept the case against Khaleda Zia hanging, he said. 

BNP is a big party and they have learned lawyers in their party but they did nothing in legal battle, he mentioned. 

The people didn't see a single visible procession of BNP leaders for freeing Khaleda Zia but they are now shading crocodile tears, he said. 

The minister said Khaleda Zia is receiving treatment at the county's most modern hospital and the government has no objection if any specialist physical is brought here from abroad for her treatment. 

He said Khaleda, who is a convict, has been given the permission to stay home on humanitarian ground and she is getting the highest treatment. 

He questioned whether Ziaur Rahman and Begum Zia, during the tenures, showed that gesture by allowing anybody to go abroad for receiving medical faculties. But now they (BNP leaders) are making bigger talks, he said. 

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) took initiatives for ensuring road safety and raising mass awareness and as part of the programme, road show began simultaneously from Manik Miah Avenue, roads adjacent to Kalabagan playground and Kakrail police box. 

Stickers and leaflets will be distributed during the campaign. 

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Md Nazrul Islam and BRTA Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder were present on the occasion.