‘Missing Noakhali’s Moudud Bhai’, says Obaidul Quader

Awami League leader Obaidul Quader laments the absence of senior BNP leader Moudud Ahmed at a programme hosted by Noakhali residents.

Both politicians hail from the district.

President Md Abdul Hamid attended the ‘Noakhali Utsab’ at Suhrawardy Udyan as chief guest on Friday.

Former law minister Moudud was scheduled to address the programme.

“I’d have been happy had Moudud Bhai come,” Quader said in his local dialect, much to the delight of the audience. “But he didn’t come.”

Quader had lost to the BNP Standing Committee member in the Noakhali-5 parliamentary seat in the 2001 elections. However, in the 2008 polls, he turned the tables on Moudud.

Moudud was later elected to Parliament in a by-election from Bogra.

Moudud’s party, the BNP, boycotted the 2014 national election. Obaidul Quader took over as road transport and bridges minister after winning the seat in the last elections.

An Awami League Presidium member, Quader said he believed his ‘Moudud Bhai’ wanted to join the programme but stayed away because his party decided against it.

“Is that the truth or not?” he asked the audience, who replied in chorus, “Hachha, Hachha (true, true)”.

The minister lamented the growing political polarisation in the country.

“We could have had a little chat if he had (Moudud) come... We don’t meet often since everything has become so polarised.”