Don’t form local committee with relatives: Quader

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today asked his party’s rank and file not to form any grassroots committee comprised of "family members or relatives".

“Educated person with clean image is needed now. If we want to save democracy, we will have to save Awami League,” Quader came up with the call while addressing a triennial council of Rangpur district and city units of Awami League at Public Library ground in the city this noon.

Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, asked the party’s local level leaders and workers to say no to the ‘seasonal birds’ and opportunists in the party’s leadership.

The ruling Awami League has plunged into a serious image crisis as top brass of its different wings including Jubo League and Chhatra League have been caught for their involvement in corruption and irregularities.

To retrieve the party’s smashed image, Awami League has started purification drive within the party sounding a note of caution that no one will be speared how powerful the wrongdoers are.

Amid the purification drive, Awami League youth wing Jubo League on November 23 made Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash new chairman and Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil general secretary with its five expelled top leaders in jail over corruption allegations.

Pointing finger at the local level leaders, Quader said, “Power doesn’t sustain forever. Don’t abuse power just be modest to win people’s minds.”     

Calling upon the people in the area to stay with Awami League for continuation of development in the country, he said his government must eliminate corruption from the country for the sake of its overall development.

Awami League Presidium Member Ramesh Chandra inaugurated the council while Momotaz Uddin Ahmed acting president of Rangpur district unit was presiding over the council.