Awami League General Secretary and Road  Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Saturday Bangladesh  Nationalist Party (BNP) is still able to do politics in the country as the  ruling party Awami League (AL) has the ability to tolerate BNP.

“The party, BNP, is able to criticize the incumbent government in various ways including giving speeches, statements, making human chain and holding discussions and talk shows because democracy is prevailing in the country. AL has the ability to tolerate their activities,” he said at a press conference held at his official residence.

Quader further said that AL did not retaliate even after killing Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on the fateful night of August 15 in 1975 and the attempt to assassinate AL president Sheikh Hasina on August 21.

Responding to the allegation of the BNP leaders that there is no soil under the feet of the government, he added that BNP has been saying such things for the last one century.

“In fact, not the government, the BNP has no soil under its feet. If they had soil under their feet, they would have come down to the streets and even participated in the polls,” the minister continued.

Terming BNP as isolated party, he said BNP has no ground under its feet for doing only negative and conspiratorial politics in the country.

Due to its ill-politics, they are also reluctant to join the elections, he added.

“On February 15 in 1996, the then BNP government held an election of farce, putting the country’s electoral system and democracy in dark,” he said, adding that it was a voter less elections, Quader mentioned.

BNP wanted to destroy democracy by creating 1.25 crore (Soya Ek Koti) fake voters, he said, adding: “BNP even had the desire to uproot democracy and democratic values from the constitution.”

He remarked that the BNP had failed in the movement and elections and is now inciting communal forces against the country and the government.

The people of the country have confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as they are satisfied with the government, he said.

BNP wanted the people of the country to die on the streets with starvation, he said, adding that but it did not happen.

Lauding the Premier’s positive mentality, the AL General Secretary said BNP is the killer of democracy whereas Sheikh Hasina-led AL is the defender of democracy.