Sheikh Hasina-led incumbent govt will be in office during polls: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said the current government would act as the election-time government and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will perform as its premier.

“BNP’s caretaker government demand didn’t get any international support. For this, they are now talking about ‘neutral government’ instead of caretaker government. The present government will perform as the election-time government like in other democratic countries,” he said.

The minister said this to reporters after attending a seminar organised by the Department of Oceanography marking the World Oceans Day at Senate Bhaban of Dhaka University (DU) here.

Criticising the BNP’s comments over the electricity issue, Hasan said the BNP leaders, including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, become vocal on power issue but they didn’t provide power to the people, rather they had torched the power office, he added.

He said BNP gave only ‘khamba’ (electric polls). On the other hand, the AL government gives electricity to the countrymen and the habits of the people have changed. The scenario of the country has changed as cent percent people came under power facilities, he added.

The information minister said 3,600 megawatt electricity was produced when BNP was in power. But now the government has the ability to supply 18,000 to 20,000 megawatts of electricity at any time, he added.

He said only 40 percent people were under power facility when BNP was in power. But now, cent percent people are under the power facility, said the ruling party leader.

In fact, the habit of the countrymen has changed, he said, adding, even, the rural people are now using air conditioners.

He said air conditioners are being used at mosques, temples and pagodas. Electricity is needed for charging thousands of easy bikes and about 15 crore of mobile phones, said Hasan.

He said the habit of common people has changed due to multidimensional uses of electricity. Everyone needs to have patience, he said, adding the power minister has said that this inconvenience is temporary and it is due to global recession and the war and it will be solved within 15 to 20 days.

Earlier in the seminar titled ‘Revealing the Potentials of Blue Economy’, Hasan said Bangladesh has won the sea areas in a verdict of the international court by keeping good relations with India and Myanmar under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “The rate of GDP growth will increase by two to three percent if we can use the assets of the sea properly,” he added.

Chairman of the Department of Oceanography Dr KM Azam Chowdhury presented the keynote paper while Deputy Minister for Education Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, member of Planning Commission Professor Dr Md Kawsar Ahmed, GIZ principal advisor Stefan Alfred Groenewold and dean of Earth and Environmental Science Faculty Professor Dr Md Zillur Rahman, among others, addressed it as special guests.

Country director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Md Rakibul Amin conducted the seminar while associate professor of the Oceanography Department Jobaier Alam delivered the welcome address.