AL glorifies Zillur for elevation to presidency
Hasina urges party rank and file to implement polls manifesto
Concept of buffer state unrealistic: AL Spokesman
Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Awami League has glorified its veteran party leader Zillur Rahman for elevation from the party boss to presidency.
Terming President-elect Zillur Rahman as a guardian of the nation in the forthcoming days, the AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) meeting on Tuesday said, "Awami League is proud of Zillur - who led the country's one of the biggest political parties during the tough time in absence of Sheikh Hasina."
Yesterday's working committee meeting, with the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, approved a unanimous resolution congratulating Zillur Rahman MP. AL President Sheikh Hasina read it out which mentioned Zillur Rahman a symbol of state-liberty, sovereignty and national unity.
Thanking him, the meeting hoped for a better performance which would be able to uphold the dignity the country across the globe.
According to meeting sources, Hasina, in her speech at the working committee meeting wished President-elect Zillur's success, sound health and long life. The Premier herself was overwhelmed with emotion while congratulating the president-designate Zillur Rahman by presenting a bouquet yesterday morning.
Some other senior party leaders - including Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim also paid rich tribute to their senior party colleague Zillur Rahman hoping for his good health.
"We believe that as the President he would be able to lead the country with honesty and determination, and play a neutral role in his activities," they hoped.
Here it may be mentioned, a close associate of the late father of nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Zillur had played a very significant role and had outstanding contribution in different movements like Language Movement during his 60-year political career.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina urged AL's rank and file to work sincerely and honestly to implement the Awami League' election manifesto in order to build up a 'Digital Bangladesh' as per the vision of 2021.
The Prime Minister also called upon leaders and activities of the AL-led Grand Alliance to work together forgetting personal narrow interest and asked them to put in efforts for the betterment of the country and its people, AL Spokesperson Syed Ashraful Islam quoted Hasina as saying this in the meeting.
Sheikh Hasina said, "As a popular and strong political party, the AL achieved a landslide victory in the polls to four city corporations and Jatiya Sangsad. We urge all to gear up party activities across the country and strengthen the organisation."
Syed Ashraful, also the LGRD and Cooperatives Minister, briefed newsmen about the outcome of ALCWC meeting - held at the political office of the Awami League President - where some cabinet members and AL lawmakers were also present.
Replying to a query, the AL spokesman said, "Apart from the president-elect issue, some organisational issue, programmes in observance of International Mother Language Day, Historic 7th March and Mjibnagar Day dominated the four-hour long discussion."
About the decision of holding AL National Council, he said the incumbent AL Central Committee tenure has already expired. National Council issue would be discussed in the next Working Committee meeting very shortly.
On whether the Government and the Party programmes would be run separately, the AL spokesman said, "Like 1996, the Government and the party are functioning their respective fields separately. As per requirement, the government and the party should complement each other. In the Parliamentary form of Government, the government and the party remain separated in their functions but they are not separated in organisational activities," Ashraful replied.
He also urged the Election Commission to announce the schedule for the poll to Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) immediately as one year time has already elapsed since the scheduled-election date.
Syed Ashraful said the expulsions at the party's district chapters over the irregularities at the Upazila polls had been done in contradiction of the party constitution. "Only the AL Central Committee can expel any partyman if he or she breaches the party Constitution and the district units only may forward the recommendation to the central unit for the expulsion," he added.
UNB adds: The ruling AL blew off the concept of 'buffer state' as an unrealistic perception for Bangladesh and reminded that the nation didn't earn its independence as a gift.
"Bangladesh did not get the independent state through anyone's blessings. We achieved it through liberation war and we'll protect it at any cost," said AL spokesman Syed Ashraful Islam.
His attention drawn to an Indian journalist's query to Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, outrageously dubbing Bangladesh as a 'buffer state', he said the Foreign Minister could not guess the importance of the issue in the face of the insidious remark.
The Foreign Minister, a fresher in the job of dealing with diplomatic parlance, kept silent when Bangladeshi journalists wanted to know her reaction over the Indian journalist's salvo calling Bangladesh 'buffer state'.
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