DHAKA: Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said if there was no democracy in the country then the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conferences would not have been held. 

Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, made the remark to reporters after placing floral wreath at Shaheed Nur Hossain Chattar in city’s Gulistan area on Friday (Nov 10).

In response to a query about Jan-5-like-election when BNP boycott the election, he said, “if BNP boycotts the election then it doesn’t mean that democracy diminishes. BNP can criticize Jan-5-like-election as much they want, but if there was no democracy in country then IPU and CPA conferences would not have held successfully. Bangladesh was chosen to hold the conference because democracy prevails here.”

Mentioning Shaheed Nur Hossain Day, Quader said, Nur Hossain sacrificed his life for democracy and his dream of democracy was liberated since. It takes a lot of effort to institutionalize democracy. 

On the issue of BNP’s rally on Nov 12, he said approving BNP to hold rally at Suhrawardy Udyan proves that Awami League as a party is fully sincere and democratic.      
  
BDST: 1430 HRS, NOV 10, 2017
AP