Stay united, stop infiltration

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday warned AL leaders and activists not to let opportunists infiltrate the party.

“They [the opportunists] will not be with the party in bad times. Only the real activists will … [I] don't want to see any house within a house. No pocket committees will be allowed,” he said at a rally in Cumilla's Daudkandi.

The rally was organised as part of a two-day roadshow of the ruling party ahead of the national elections likely in December.

The roadshow, from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar, is aimed at warning party grassroots against infightings ahead of the polls. Another intention was to ask all local leaders to accept and support the candidates to be nominated by the central leadership, said party sources.

A section of the huge crowd that gathered for the Awami League rally addressed by its General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Cumilla Town Hall premises yesterday. Photo: Collected

On the first day of the roadshow yesterday, the AL organised three rallies in Cumilla and one in Feni. It suspended another rally in Sitakunda citing lack of preparations.

The roadshow began as around 15 vehicles of Quader's motorcade left the premises of AL president's Dhanmondi office around 8:50am.

As the vehicles reached Narayanganj, several hundred party leaders and activists, queued along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, welcomed the AL team, reports our Narayanganj correspondent.

Several more cars joined the motorcade there.

AL men were seen standing along the highway from Shimrail in Siddhirganj upazila to Meghna bridge toll plaza in Sonargaon upazila.

Around noon, Quader and his party colleagues attended a roadside rally on the premises of Rajendra Bishwanath High School in Cumilla's Daudkandi. Speaking there, Quader warned against infightings and urged the AL men to remain united.

Party leaders are not supposed to be each other's enemy. It's the BNP-Jamaat men who are the enemy of the AL, he said.

He also said only the candidates with public acceptance would get nominations in the upcoming parliamentary polls.

“Those who have committed misdeeds and extortion misusing Awami League's name have no place in the party,” said Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister.

AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would nominate the candidates after examining their popularity, he added.

In the afternoon, Quader's motorcade reached Cumilla town where he addressed another rally.

Several thousand party leaders and activists attended the programme organised by Cumilla City AL and chaired by its President AKM Baharuddin Bahar, on Cumilla Town Hall premises, reports our Cumilla correspondent.

Cumilla district AL President and Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, AL Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif and Organising Secretary AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, among others, addressed the programme starting around 2:00pm.

At the rally, Quader said if AL came to power again, it would fulfill all the demands of the people. “Awami League believes in people's development,” he said.

About BNP's announcement that it will launch a movement, Quader said the party could not wage any movement against the government for “10 minutes in the last 10 years and it will not be able to do that in future”.

Mustafa Kamal said, “The oppositions have been trying to form a national unity but Awami League will unite itself through organisational unity.”

Later, the motorcade reached the district's Chauddagram area where Quader spoke at another rally. He said, “If BNP-Jamaat alliance gets back to power again, they will bloodbath in the country. The darkness of 2001 will return.

“Will you want to elect five times world champions in corruption again?”

Mahbubul Alam Hanif said, “Threatening Awami League will yield no results … No conspiracy can remove it [from power].”

In the afternoon, the AL leaders and activists from the motorcade attended another rally on the Shaheed Minar premises in Feni town. The programme was organised by the district AL.

Speaking there, Quader said, “The people of the country will not accept any unity without the Awami League.”

Criticising the BNP, he said the party went to the United Nations uninvited and to lodge complaints with the UN Secretary General.

It also held meetings in London and Bangkok, he added.

After failing to wage any movement, the party tried to bank on Hefajat-e-Islam and also tried to cash in on students' movements but failed again, he said.

“Now they are making complaints at home and abroad,” he said.

Feni district AL President Abdur Rahman chaired the event, reports our Feni correspondent.

RALLY SUSPENDED

A scheduled programme to be held at Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram as part of the roadshow was suspended yesterday “fearing factional clashes among local rival groups”.

Sources said party high-ups made the decision based on intelligence.

At least four rival groups, led by local AL leaders, were preparing to show off their might before the AL general secretary, AL sources added.

AL Organising Secretary Enamul Haque Shamim, however, said the programme was suspended as they wanted to give local leaders and activists more time to “organise the rally properly”.

The two-day roadshow will end today with programmes and rallies at different places in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.

AL lawmakers and senior leaders are expected to address the rallies.

On September 8, an AL team led by Quader took a passenger train to the North to launch its campaign for the national polls.

During the 441 kilometers trip from the capital, Quader addressed 11 scheduled rallies and two unscheduled ones, and sought vote for “Boat”, the election symbol of the party.

He is also supposed to make a trip to Barishal division by launch later.