Boalkhali Representative: Information Minister and Joint General Secretary of the Awami League Hasan Mahmud said, “We did not talk about any dialogue. We do not think there is a need for dialogue with the BNP.
He said this in response to questions from reporters after the chief guest’s speech at the Boalkhali Samiti, an organization based in Chittagong’s Boalkhali upazila, Dhaka’s annual host and award distribution ceremony at Motijhele Sadek Hossain Khoka Community Center in the capital on Friday (June 9).
BNP Secretary General’s statement: ‘Government is talking about dialogue to take the focus away from the movement.” In response to this question, the Information Minister said that there is no benefit in dialogue with those who want to rig the election and resist the election. Elections in Bangladesh will be held according to the constitution. Mirza Fakhrul Islam rather wants to mislead people by saying these things.
Hasan Mahmud said that what Amir Hossain said about the Amu dialogue was explained to him the next day. And what he said at first was his own opinion; our party, the Awami League, the government, or 14 parties had no opinion.
Chittagong 7 Constituency Member of Parliament Hasan Mahmud, which consists of parts of Rangunia and Boalkhali upazilas, recalled the role of Boalkhali residents in the anti-British movement and freedom struggle. He said that many comrades of the revolutionary Masterda Suryasen had their houses and hideouts in Boalkhali. Being the closest to the city, the people of Boalkhali were already more educated and cultured than other upazilas. Even in this modern and ‘mobile culture’ era, their ball game is still popular. The host culture of Chittagong has also become very popular in the last decade across the country, said the information minister.
He also said that in view of the demands of the association, the minister firmly said that there will definitely be a new Karnaphuli bridge at Kalurghat. Like the Padma Bridge, it will have both rail and road connectivity. Along with this, renovation of the traditional Kalurghat bridge has also been done to keep traffic and goods transportation smooth until the construction of this bridge is completed. Besides, work is going on to upgrade the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar road from two to four lanes. As a result, industrialization will increase in Boalkhali.
Citing the example of the country’s development in the last 14 years, he said that after 14 years, the people of Boalkhali do not recognize their own area after returning from abroad. Earlier, day laborers and rickshaw pullers used to agitate for wages equal to three and a half kg of rice a day; now they earn 50 taka per kg to buy 10 kg of rice a day. Earlier, the old clothes of foreigners were washed and ironed and sold in the market; now foreigners wear our exported clothes. The rural-urban divide has disappeared. Village boys also now wear three-quarter pants.
President of the Boalkhali Association, Dhaka Liaquat Ali, General Secretary Mahmudul Hasan Ansari, and Convener of the Conference Preparation Committee Abdus Sobhan Siddiqui spoke on the occasion.
