Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday said the incumbent government believes in the democratic rights of all parties.

“The Awami League government does not believe in repression but in the constitutional and democratic rights of all parties and all thoughts,” he said in a statement.

That is why the Awami League has showed optimum tolerance to the BNP despite the provocative statements of the party and the Chhatra Dal leaders, said Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister.

Responding to a statement of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir that the government is more aggressive in suppressing the opposition, the AL general secretary said Fakhrul’s statement is nothing but a part of BNP’s ill-politics of falsehood.

He said, after failing in democratic movement and getting rejected by the country’s people due to their destructive and anti-national politics, the BNP leaders have now started the politics of sabotage over the Padma Bridge, a symbol of the nation’s pride.

The BNP leaders are enjoying freedom of expression in streets and media and capitalising on it, they are spreading rumours and falsehoods shamelessly through their statements, he added.

Quader said a new enthusiasm has been created in Bangladesh with the inauguration of the Padma Bridge.

Disappointed with the mass rise of the nation, the perplexed BNP is now accusing the government of imaginary repression to hide its frustrations and failures, he said.

On the other hand, he said, the BNP leaders and activists have chosen the path of conspiracy against the country’s development by removing the nuts and bolts from Padma Bridge.

Pointing to the BNP secretary general, the road transport and bridges minister said: “Did you forget that, Mr. Fakhrul? About 26,000 AL leaders and workers were killed during the BNP’s reign. They not only killed the AL men, but also in 2004, with the help of the state-sponsored Hawa Bhaban, they conspired to wipe out the Awami League by killing AL President Sheikh Hasina”.

During the BNP-Jamaat alliance regime, they not only killed the political leaders and workers but also carried out oppression and repression on cultural activists, journalists and human rights activists, he said.

With the patronage of BNP, Quader said, terrible militants like Bangla Bhai, Sheikh Abdur Rahman and Mufti Hannan had emerged.

He said the militant groups carried out grenade attacks on AL rally and conducted a series of bomb attacks across the country on 17 August, 2005.

Even, British diplomats could not escape the attacks of these militants, he added.

The AL general secretary said BNP had killed over 100 AL leaders and activists through the so-called ‘Operation Clean Heart’ and gave indemnity to the killers.

The BNP repeatedly violated the constitution, good governance and human rights of this country, he said, adding that the BNP is still practicing the politics of killing.

Quader asked the BNP leaders not to make false and baseless statements and hatch anti-national intrigues over the Padma Bridge.

“Today, Bangladesh stands with its head high before the world and under the strong leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh will move forward at an irresistible pace by resisting all conspiracies,” he added.