The BNPs conspiracy to boycott the election has failed due to the new visa policy of the United States, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said.
“At the same time, the United States has issued a strict warning against BNP's arson, terrorism and destructive activities that it carries out to disrupt the elections,” He made the remarks in a statement signed by Awami League OfficeSecretary Barrister Biplab Barua on Monday.
The Awami League general secretary also condemned and protested BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's “false and vulgar comments ” in the statement.
He said: "BNP is now plunged into deep depression as it has not received a response from the foreigners. Therefore, BNP has lost its direction and is disoriented.
“If BNP does not participate in the elections, the elections will not be considered participatory in the national and international spheres - the propaganda against democracy has come to an end.” he added.
Awami League general secretary also said that BNP has hired a lobbyist firm by spending millions of dollars to appease the foreigners, but they have not gotten their desired responses.
“They are now plotting new dramas against the government and Awami League in the light of the new US visa policy,” Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister said.
Mentioning that the countrymen have not forgotten the misrule of the BNP-Jamaat term from 2001 to 2006, he said: "Thousands of Awami League leaders and workers were subjected to torture and persecution at that time. Ruling party workers could not even go to their party offices.”
“Awami League leader Shah AMS Kibria, Ahsan Ullah Master, Manjurul Imam, Momtaz Uddin including 21,000 activists were killed. Even Anwar Chowdhury, the then British High Commissioner in Bangladesh, was not spared from terrorist attacks,” the statement reads.
Awami League does politics for the welfare of the people. The countrymen are the main strength of Awami League, reads the statement.
The United States has announced a new visa policy that will allow its government to restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process.
This includes current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services.
The US notified the Bangladeshi government of this decision on May 3, Secretary of State Antony J Blinken said in a statement on May 24.
