Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said the ruling 14-party alliance is set to convene a meeting over coalition partner JaSoD’s President and Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu's remarks on the Awami League's election strength.
"Yesterday (Thursday), Inu detonated an oral bomb…a clarification of his remarks will be sought following a meeting of the 14-party coalition," Quader said when responding to a question at a function at the Teacher-Student Centre on the Dhaka University campus on Thursday, reports BSS.
Bangladesh Chhatra League, a pro-ruling party student front, organised the event to mark Unesco’s recognition for the historic March 7 speech by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as part of the world's documentary heritage.
Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said the 14-party alliance's spokesman and Health Minister Mohammed Nasim had already been asked to call a meeting of the coalition over Inu’s comments.
On Wednesday, when addressing a rally organised by JaSoD at Mirpur upazila of Kushtia, Inu said the Awami League would never be able to come into power without the support of his party JaSoD, as well as Dilip Barua’s Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal, HM Ershad’s Jatiya Party, and Rashed Khan Menon’s Workers Party.
“You may have 80 cents. But you cannot claim all 100 cents. You will get the power only when you have 100 cents,” he said without mentioning the name of Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, adds our correspondent in Kushtia.
“You own 80 cents, and the remaining 20 cents belong to Ershad, Dilip, Menon and me. If we are not with you, then you will have no choice but to wander the streets. You will not even be able to come into power in 1,000 years,” the JaSod chief added.
Inu also said: “We tolerate everything and keep clam, but that does not mean we are weak. JaSoD has strength too.”
He added that he had allied himself with the Awami League for the sake of the country.
Meanwhile, Quader said Inu might have made the remarks out of "anger" or "indignation" regarding the strength of JaSoD, and suggested that the JaSoD president review his assessment.
The Awami League general secretary said: "It's not clear what anger or indignation actually prompted him to make such comments. Awami League is a big party. So, it should not hastily react to his remarks.
"But they [JaSod] should also know what could be their fate if they take part in elections after discarding Awami League.”
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