Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said the voting festivity could not be marred through arson terrorism.
"The leaders who are giving directives to do heinous crimes and subversive activities are also responsible for these crimes... A demand has been raised to take tough actions against those leaders," he said while exchanging views with reporters at the YNT centre in the city's Deanzi Pukur Lane.
Awami League social welfare secretary Mohammad Aminul Islam was present in the meeting.
The minister said: "One of our main tasks will be to root out the arson terrorists if we can form the government. These cannot be allowed to continue in a civilized country."
Dr Hasan said the international community has shown a keen interest in the poll.
“For this, the US, European Union, the United Nations, Saarc and OIC countries and other nations have already sent their observers,” he added.
He hoped that the election would be held on Sunday in a free, fair and competitive manner with the participation of the voters. “Awami League will get a landslide victory and Bangabandhu's daughter will be elected as the prime minister for the fifth time,” he said.
The information minister hoped that the international community would raise their voice against the arson terrorists who are trying to foil the poll by hurling petrol bombs and killing innocent people and the community would assist in eliminating the terrorists.
He said: “The miscreants of BNP-Jamaat torched four bogies of Benapole Express in Gopibagh of Dhaka leaving four killed till now and injuring many others. The BNP and Jamaat are carrying out the subversive activities after October 28 which are similar to those in 2013, 2014 and 2015.”
Criticizing BNP's demand for an international investigation into the arson attack on the train, Dr Hasan said it is BNP's bad habit to deny. “Earlier a train was torched in the same area leaving four people, including a mother and her child, killed on the spot,” he said.
“There is the residence of BNP leader Mirza Abbas. All the culprits were arrested and they disclosed on whose orders they committed the previous incident,” he said.
The minister said the arson terrorism is being unleashed under the directive of BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman. “Photos and video footage of the subversive activities are being sent to London,” he said, adding those could not be activities of a political party.
Addressing BNP-Jamaat as the enemies of the country and the nation, he said: “They are trying to foil the festive environment.”
Hasan Mahmud urged the countrymen to resist the miscreants as they were enemies of the masses.
He said the government is determined to eliminate the miscreants.
