<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday said the BNP and like-minded parties are spreading rumours as part of plot to intensify conflicts centering the upcoming national election.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He made the remarks during a joint meeting with the leaders of AL’s associate bodies at the party’s central office here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Quader said that the opposition parties are not going to the voters, but rather appealing to their foreign lords.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“They are indulged in their dreams of lodging complaints and imposition of restrictions on Bangladesh,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Foreigners are our friends. But they have no authority here. On the other hand the BNP has masters in foreign countries,” he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Regarding the recent amendment of the Representation of the People’s Order (RPO), Quader said it was necessary.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said, “In any event of irregularities, only the polling of the specific center should be cancelled, rather than an entire election. This provision is explicitly mentioned in the Act and similar practices exist in other democratic nations. Why does Bangladesh need to adopt a different approach?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He also said BNP is obsessively pursuing power, “The election will be fair to them only if Awami League loses.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The recent local government elections did not reflect the alleged chaos, fake votes, and capturing of polling stations that the opposition propagates. This positive outcome happened because of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's efforts in modernizing and democratizing the electoral system through the establishment of the independent Election Commission,” he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Quader also said the upcoming national election would be conducted peacefully, fairly, and independently- similar to the city corporation elections.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The government will not interfere, and PM Hasina's administration would perform its routine duties, he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The joint meeting was attended by Awami League Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, among others. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>