BNP's top leaders are pro-election: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said many top leaders of BNP are pro-election.

Noting that the top leaders of BNP have the desire to take part in the polls, he said: "Even if BNP decides to boycott elections in future, their leaders will participate in the elections. They won't refrain from participating in the polls. They will surely join the polls."

The minister said these while talking to journalists at his official residence at Minto road in the capital.

Referring to the resignation of Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan, the former adviser of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, from BNP and his participation in the Brahmanbaria-2 by-polls as an independent candidate, he said: "It is proved that many top leaders of BNP are pro-election."

While replying to a query, he said that the decision of BNP comes from beyond the sea and their 'particular' leader has no idea about the reality and situation of Bangladesh.

He ('particular' leader) has been out of the country for 15-16 years, Hasan said, adding: "I personally think that resignation of six BNP MPs from the parliament was a very short-sighted decision of the party."

Mentioning that many BNP leaders think that the attempt to resist the 2014-elections was a great mistake, Dr Hasan Mahmud said that they should have joined the national polls in 2018 in full swing not partially.

"Even now the resignation of BNP's six MPs was imposed on them as the top leaders of BNP think so," he said, adding, "Such resignation was not good for BNP."

Referring to Gaibandha by-election, he said, the Election Commission claimed that the Gaibandha by-election was successful.

"We also witnessed a free and fair election," he said, adding that Awami League's candidate won with a huge margin of votes and it was proved that if the election had not postponed earlier, the AL candidate with the symbol of 'Boat' would have won with a huge margin of votes.

Referring to the statement of BNP leader Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain that "A portion of Awami League wants to establish a reign of terror to usurp state power," Hasan said indeed BNP itself has established a reign of terror as their politics is based on terror.

He said Awami League has formed the government with the mandate of the people and is running the country.

As long as the people want, Awami League led government will run the country, he said, adding: "We will not stay in power for a single day if the people do not want".

He criticized the BNP as it always wants to come to power through the back door.