Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said AL leaders and workers will abide by the code of conduct of the Election Commission (EC) in the Dhaka city elections.
“We have given directives to our leaders and workers from the party. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the ministers not to violate electoral code of conduct by any means,” he told a discussion after inaugurating a portrait of Bangabandhu at Roads and Highways Department at Ellen Bari in Dhaka on Friday (Jan 10).
Quader, also Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said he is abiding by the code of conduct as a minister and a member of parliament (MP).
About BNP’s allegation over level playing field, Quader said: “I want to ask a question from your conscience that what is called the level playing field?”
“Does it mean that BNP secretary general can hold public meeting but AL general secretary cannot do that. Does it mean that BNP leaders Barrister Moudud Ahmed and Khandker Mosharraf can take part in election campaign but AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed cannot do that as they are MPs,” he said.
Posing a question to the EC, Quader said what type of level playing field it is there where BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is making election campaign but AL general secretary is not there. “I want to known from the Election Commission,” he said.
Referring to the election process of different democratic countries, the AL general secretary said Indian prime minister also joined Legislative Assembly elections in Tripura and Karnataka and central leaders of other democratic countries also take part in local government election.
The question of level playing field does not arise there or there is no violation of laws but why the laws will be violated in Bangladesh if central leaders join local government election campaign?, he questioned.
The minister said the government will set up 28 axle load control centers on major highways to control the overloading of vehicles to protect highways from damages.