AL’s Quader says media coverage of Jatiya Oikya Prokriya rally was unjust

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader claims the Bangladesh media is being ‘unjust’ by not covering the ruling party’s events with sufficient importance.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 23 Sept 2018, 12:14 PM
Updated : 23 Sept 2018, 12:14 PM

The ruling party leader claimed that the ‘Jatiya Oikya Prokriya’ event by Kamal Hossain and AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury received lead coverage while a larger event by the Awami League was neglected.

Quader, also the road transport minister, made these remarks at a street campaign programme in Chattogram’s Karnaphuli area while on his way to Cox’s Bazar early on Sunday.

A total of 2,000 people were at the 20-party alliance rally at Mahanagar Natyamancha in Dhaka’s Gulistan, while hundreds of thousands were present at the Awami League rally in Chattogram, Quader said.

“But a group of media published large photographs of the rally while Awami League received single column coverage. They even ignored our large gatherings in the photographs.”

“The Awami League administration is Bangladesh’s most popular government and the popularity cannot be covered by publishing news without a picture,” Quader said.   

Ahead of the next general election, the Jukto Front, convened by AQM Badruddoza, and Jatiya Oikya Prokriya arranged a rally at capital’s Dhaka on Saturday.

The leaders from the BNP and 20-party alliance have also joined the programme with their repeated demand of an impartial caretaker government during the polls.

The leaders urged the government to form a caretaker government through discussions with various political parties and set Sep 30 as a deadline.

Claiming the “Oikya” did not have the support of people, Quader said: “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had made Suhrawardy Udyan open for all rallies. Instead of this, the 30-prrty alliance called the rally at Mahanagar Natyamancha as they could not field many supporters.”

Quader also claimed the BNP had not been able to gather such a large amount of people that the Awami League had at the Chattogram’s rally.