Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said that BNP is afraid of taking part in the elections as their leaders have become frustrated being rejected time and again by people.

“The BNP leaders have become depressed after being rejected again and again by the people. So, they are scared to join the elections. At the same time, they are engaged in questioning elections and the electoral process,” he said in a statement.

Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said though BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is saying that BNP would not participate in the elections, the BNP leaders and activists are seen submitting nomination papers for the mayoral and councilor posts in the upcoming city corporation elections. “The people have lost faith in the BNP due to this double-standard behaviour,” he said.

Referring to different lopsided and farcical elections held during the regimes of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, the AL leader said, “How come BNP talks about the election with this face? The electoral system of this country was destroyed in the hands of the BNP.”

Talking about the remarks of Mirza Fakhrul who claimed that Awami League does not believe in democracy, the AL general secretary said Bangladesh Awami League has fought for a long time to establish the democratic rights of the people of this country.

“The voting rights of the people of this country have been established by the Bangladesh Awami League. Awami League will definitely not take the lessons of democracy from BNP. Awami League does not have faith or trust in the democracy practised by BNP,” he said, adding that BNP founder Ziaur Rahman gave curfew-enforced democracy to the people of this country.

Quader, in the statement, said the unprecedented development and progress of Bangladesh has been achieved under the leadership of successful statesman Sheikh Hasina.

The government-led by Sheikh Hasina has relentlessly been working to smoothen the path of democracy and rule of law. “Due to her role as a successful statesman, today Sheikh Hasina is admired by all the world leaders,” he said.

Along with the economic progress of Bangladesh, the fate of the people has improved, but BNP and its allies can’t tolerate that, he claimed.

“So, they are conspiring to disrupt this progress. We would like to say firmly that befitting replies will be given to all these conspiracies taking the people with us. No conspiracy will succeed, Inshallah,” said the AL general secretary.