BSS, Dhaka:

Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said the AL is not a dew drop on an arum leaf that will fall with a little touch rather the root of the party has reached deep into the soil of this country.

He made the remark while addressing a brief rally organised before bringing out a colourful procession in the capital this afternoon, marking the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League.

He addressed the rally from a temporary stage set up on the premises of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) adjacent to Suhrawardy Udyan.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said BNP is threatening the government that it will wage a movement.

“But, we clearly want to say that the source of our strength is the people of Bangladesh. The Awami League is not a dew drop on an arum leaf, which will fall with a little jolt,” he said.

He said the AL is not a week party but BNP is a fake party as its movement is fake and the country’s people do not belong to the fake party.

Criticising the BNP, the AL general secretary said the people were not with the BNP in the past and will not be with the party in the future too.

Vowing that the Awami League is not a party to bow down (to anyone), he said the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the judiciary are independent, and if an individual commits offenses, he or she will be brought to justice.

Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has the courage to bring offenders to justice.

He said it should be mulled whether the plot going on today is to remove the Awami League or not.

If any party resorts to arson attacks and the politics of killing in the name of movement, the AL is ready to resist it on streets, the road transport and bridges minister said.

Urging AL men to remain alert against rumours, he said: “Remain alert and be careful. BNP is spreading rumours against the Awami League….they (BNP) are plotting to show the Awami League as a corrupt party by spreading rumours.”

AL presidium members Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram, Dr Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, joint general secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, organising secretaries Ahmad Hossain, BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam, SM Kamal Hossain, Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel and Sujit Roy Nandi, publicity and publication secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, Dhaka North City AL president Sheikh Bazlur Rahman, Dhaka South City AL president Abu Ahmad Mannafi, Jubo League president Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Dhaka North City mayor Atiqul Islam and Ferdous Ahmed, MP, also spoke.

Later, Obaidul Quader formally inaugurated the procession. The procession started from the premises of the IEB and ended reaching the historic Bangabandhu Bhaban premises at Dhanmondi-32 after parading Shahbagh, Elephant Road and Mirpur Road.