BNP leaders, who attended the oath-taking ceremony of the grand alliance cabinet at Bangabhaban yesterday, said they would extend their cooperation to the Awami League (AL)-led government if the government wants it.
They also said BNP hopes the new government would keep its pre-election promises like reducing price of rice to Tk 10 a kg, green chillies to Tk 5 and distributing fertiliser free of cost.
A four-member delegation of BNP led by MP-elect Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury attended the oath-taking ceremony of the new government.
BNP MP-elect MK Anwar told reporters after the ceremony, “We hope, they [the AL-led government] will keep the commitments they made during the election campaign…”
He conveyed his personal congratulations He conveyed his personal congratulations to the new Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet. “We will extend our cooperation if they want it. But if they breach their commitments, then we will try to realise those pledges with people’s support.”
Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury said, “We want implementation of the (AL’s) commitments like one member of each family will get a job, no people of this country will die without food and prices of essentials will be brought down to affordable levels of commoners.”
Earlier in a press briefing at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain also hoped that the new cabinet would work to keep all its pre-election promises and welcome BNP’s cooperation in running the government.
Delwar said, “We hope that the new cabinet will take charge of the government after taking oath and work to keep their promises.”
Asked when his party’s MPs-elect will take oath, Delwar said, “Our MPs-elect will sit tomorrow [today] with our chief Khaleda Zia and fix the date.”
Delwar welcomed AL chief Sheikh Hasina’s proposal for picking the deputy speaker of parliament from the opposition. “It is a good initiative… like other countries have done…it might make the parliament more effective,” he said
“Earlier we said we have no objection in cooperating with the government but Awami League will have to change its attitude… only talking about change will not bring any results unless the party changes its character,” he said.
“We wanted to cooperate with this government and we still want to do so,” Delwar asserted, adding, “We believe that unity between the government and the opposition is important in running the country.”
On the December 29 elections, he said cases should be filed against the “biased and controversial” Election Commission (EC) as ballot papers were brought outside polling stations.
He claimed “gross irregularities” took place during the elections as ballot papers are being recovered at many places.
Reiterating his allegation against AL activists, the BNP leader said they (AL activists) are still continuing attacks on BNP leaders and activists across the country.
“We are receiving reports of fresh attacks, arson, lootings from all over the country,” he said.
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