Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Thursday said talking about democracy does not suit the BNP, which is “a force of vote robbery.”
"The Awami League has traditionally respected the democratic process and the people's mandate. Only the Awami League has done everything to restore democracy and people's voting right in the country," he said in a statement.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said military dictator Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP, seized state power unconstitutionally and destroyed the country's democratic culture and values.
The constitutional and democratic rights of the country's people were crushed under the boots of military dictatorship, he added.
By enforcing curfew and creating a farce in the name of elections, mockery was made of the country's people, the Awami League general secretary said, repeating that talks of democracy do not suit the BNP.
He said BNP leaders are continuously making monotonous statements after failing to wage a movement.
BNP leaders criticize the government just for the sake of criticism, he said, adding: "Conspiracy, falsehood, propaganda and provocative statements are the BNP's tools to halt the country's economic progress being achieved due to the development policies taken by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government".
Quader said the BNP's only goal is to seize state power by any means and, on the contrary, the people are the strength of the Awami League.
It is ridiculous to talk about a mass uprising in a movement where there is no public participation and which is driven only by the lust for power, he said.
Claiming that Bangladesh was turned into a sanctuary of terrorists and militancy during the BNP reign, the minister said security measures required for diplomats as per international norms remain unchanged.
"We strongly want to say that the government will not show any relaxation about the security of foreign missions and ambassadors in Bangladesh," he said.
Mentioning that a revolutionary change has been brought in the standard of people's lives due to the inclusive development policy undertaken by Sheikh Hasina, Quader said Sheikh Hasina's timely policies are giving the new generation an opportunity to develop themselves as smart citizens.