The resignation of BNP MPs will not have any effect on the activities of parliament as the ruling Awami League holds an absolute majority, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Saturday.
Describing the major opposition party's decision as a mistake, Quader said it would only lead to more suffering for the BNP.
The AL general secretary was addressing a massive rally arranged by several thana units of the Dhaka district Awami League in Savar yesterday. The rally was organized to protest the conspiracies and lies of the BNP and Jamaat, according to Awami League leaders.
Awami League Presidium member Dr Abdur Razzaque, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Quamrul Islam, Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing Secretary Mirza Azam, SM Kamal Hossain, Dhaka District Awami League President Benzir Ahmed and General Secretary Poniruzzaman Torun, among others, spoke at the rally.
Regarding clashes between BNP activists and police near Naya Paltan on Wednesday, Quader said: “The BNP had taken preparations before getting permission to hold the rally at Naya Paltan. After searching there, the police found 160 sacks of rice, pots and pans, mosquito nets and mosquito coils. They started a picnic around Naya Paltan in the name of a rally.”
Questioning where the BNP had got the money for the rice and supplies, the AL leader said: “We know all the information about how much money certain businessmen and industrialists have given the BNP.”
Quader claimed that the BNP had hired lobbyists to discredit RAB, but some good news for Bangladesh had arrived from the US yesterday morning.
“Good news for Bangladesh and bad news for conspirators. The US has sanctioned 40 individuals and entities from nine countries. Bangladesh's name is not on that list. Foreign friends now understand the reality. They will understand more later,” added the AL general secretary.
He also said gaining political ground was not as easy as attacking the police and staging a drama about a 10-point demand.
The other Awami League leaders called upon the BNP to take part in the elections without creating chaos or seeking help from foreigners in the name of a movement.