Information & Broadcasting Minister And Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr. Hasan Mahmud today said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir`s statement in Thakurgaon that Pakistan was better and putting the national flag on the top of sticks and rods in Dhaka are connected together. They have insulted the national flag, showed disrespect and thumb towards our Liberation War and independence, sovereignty. There is a relationship between the two.`
"BNP is creating chaos in different places and killing its own workers in Munshiganj. Their aim now is to try to create chaos in the country by killing their own employees if necessary. If the government tries to do it again in the name of rally at the divisional level, the government will suppress them with a strong hand, the people will also resist them. It is the responsibility of the government to take action against those who create chaos.`
The information minister said this when reporters asked about holding a preparatory meeting by calling a rally at the divisional level of BNP at the gymnasium hall of MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram on Friday afternoon.
Earlier, the information minister was speaking as the chief guest at a function organized by the district administration to distribute gifts among the Harijan community on the occasion of The Sharadiya Durga festival and distribution of cheques of the Department of Social Services among voluntary organizations.
Replying to a question from reporters whether there has been any investigation into the removal of the Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram from the post of Returning Officer over a prayer during the filing of nomination papers for the zila parishad elections, the information minister said, "One of the hundreds of people there has held the prayer. As a Muslim, if someone holds prayer here and if I do not stand here holding a prayer, then he will call me a heretic.
That`s why the Deputy Commissioner also held a prayer there. I don`t think the responsibility of who said what during the prayer falls on the deputy commissioner. `In this case, he said, it was necessary to give a show-cause notice to the deputy commissioner or give him an opportunity to defend himself and take his statement. Action could have been taken if the statement was not satisfactory. I think the action taken on the occasion of a prayer and the news of some newspapers without giving the opportunity to defend myself is hasty. And the person against whom action has been taken was not given the opportunity to defend himself.
About the prime minister`s gift distribution on the occasion of Durga Puja, Dr. Hasan said Bangabandhu`s daughter Sheikh Hasina thinks about all the people of the country. She also thinks of the most marginalized people. From that thought, today the Prime Minister is giving donations to the Harijan community. Our government has taken many steps to solve the housing problem of the Harijan community. We will do what is left as soon as possible.
"Our government has taken various initiatives to promote club-based sports so that the youth are not misled, stay away from drug addiction and do not get involved in various types of misdeeds including militancy," he said. Due to the right decision and leadership of Bangabandhu`s daughter, our women`s football team has become the champion in SAFF football today. All their players have emerged from the Bangamata tournament in a very remote area. Today they are the pride of the country.
Chattogram South District Awami League General Secretary Mofizur Rahman, Metropolitan Muktijoddha Commander Mozaffar Ahmed, Acting Freedom Fighter Commander Sarwar Kamal and Additional Deputy Commissioner Nazmul Ahsan, among others, spoke on the occasion with Deputy Commissioner Mominur Rahman in the chair.
Later, the information minister held a meeting with the heads of various departments of the administration and district and metropolitan leaders of the Puja Udjapan Parishad at the Chattogram BKSP conference room on the occasion of the upcoming Durga Puja.
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