PM’s directive to party leaders: December 29 polls to be questionable if 1/11 changeover criticised

The directives came at an unscheduled closed-door meeting followed by the cabinet meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday with the Prime Minister in the chair in the backdrop of opposition demand for the trial of just retired army chief Moeen U Ahmed.

The LGRD Minister drew the attention of the Prime Minister saying that, “We should take a decision on whether our views should echo that of Moudud Ahmed or decide our own position on the issue.”

He further said, “By questioning the caretaker government’s activities, we are making the December 29 parliamentary election questionable.”

The cabinet member, however, said, “Neither the names of party leaders who are speaking against the 1/11 changeover nor the name of just-retired army chief Moeen U Ahmed were mentioned in the meeting,” he said.

The cabinet member preferring anonymity said that the Prime Minister praised the Caretaker Government for conducting a free and fair election.

He quoted the Prime Minister saying that “If we criticise the activities of the Caretaker Government it will go against our party.”

The minister said along with some other cabinet members, the Prime Minister, who is also president of the Awami League expressed her resentment over derogatory remarks made by some of her party leaders about 1/11 changeover and the activities of the Caretaker government.

The cabinet members alleged that some AL leaders are speaking in the talk show like BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain and Barrister Moudud Ahmed.

They thought that the AL leaders are doing that out of their frustrations for not getting a place in the cabinet, meeting sources said.

The AL president said that if her party leaders speak like that it would damage her government’s credibility.

She cautioned that there is a conspiracy behind criticising the activities of the Caretaker government.

The Prime Minister asked the ruling party leaders to refrain from making such public comments identical to that made by the opposition leaders, sources said.

The Prime Minister was quoted as saying, “We should talk in unison on issues like this.”

Meanwhile, a senior minister told The New Nation that a number of ministers were not present at the closed-door meeting and they expressed their ignorance about the PM’s direction.