The national parliamentary elections will be held on time, whether or not the BNP participates in them, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Thursday.
His remarks came on Thursday during a discussion arranged by the Awami Sechchhasebak League to mark the 75th birthday of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Quader, who also serves as road, transport and bridges minister, said that the AL wants the BNP to take part in the upcoming election.
“But they’ve already started threatening to boycott the next election. They are afraid of losing the election, which is scheduled to happen in two years,” he said.
In response to the BNP’s demand for a neutral polls-time government, Quader said: “When we engaged in a movement for a neutral government during the BNP regime, BNP leader Khaleda Zia said that no one is neutral except a madman and a child."
He added that the BNP’s proposal for an election-time government was “crazy and childish”, and he was not sure if the president would consider the proposal.
