Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said Awami League has been working fearlessly since its birth ignoring all red eyes and the party is always steadfast on the question of the country, its people and the state.

“Awami League is a party of mass people. We don’t compromise and don’t know compromise. Awami League is always rigid on the question of the country, its people and the state as well,” he said.

The minister said this to reporters while replying to a query after addressing the inaugural function of the newly-elected committee members of Bangladesh Cine Journalists Association (BCJA) at an auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the city.

Hasan said BNP has the history of fleeing and their acting chairman Tarique Rahman fled the country giving bond as he would not do politics in future. And many of them (BNP) had fled with him, he added.

He said the spirit of the great Liberation War has been deep rooted among the people of all professions including intellectuals and teachers along with the government. It is BNP’s allergy as they don’t believe in the spirit of the Liberation War, he added.

He said the secretary general of the party (BNP) had said that the Pakistan period was better. In fact, they are in favour of Pakistan, said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.

Replying to another query over BNP’s divisional rally, the minister said there is no objection about their meetings and rallies if they refrain from destroying the properties of the countrymen and the government. The government is assisting them and, for this, they are holding rallies, he added.

Besides, he said, grenade attacks were carried out in the rally of the then opposition leader and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which was held in front of Awami League central office on August 21 in 2004. Twenty-four AL leaders and activists were killed in that rally, he added.

He said there was a permanent barbed wire fence on both sides of the Awami League office when the party (AL) was in opposition and its leaders and activists were not allowed to go beyond the wire fence.

The minister said attacks were carried out in the rallies of Sheikh Helal, MP, and Suranjit Sen Gupta to kill them while attacks were also carried out in the rallies of ASM Kibria and Ahsanullha Master and they were killed.

He said hundreds of leaders and activists of Awami League were killed in their regime. But, not even a firecracker was blasted in BNP’s rally, he added.

In the function, Hasan congratulated the newly elected BCJA executive members and hoped that they would work cordially to move the country’s film industry ahead through their writings.

He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a cultured person and she was highly encouraged when heard that about 200 cinema halls have reopened. “She also told me to tell everyone to construct more halls. A loan fund of Taka 1,000 crore has been formed as per the directives of the Premier to construct new Cineplex, cinema halls and to renovate old halls. If anyone wants to build a Cineplex in a market then he would get a loan of up to Taka ten crore,” he added.

Hasan hoped that the films of the country would get a place on a global screen.

Shafiqur Rahman, MP, BFUJ former president Molla Jalal, Shilpakala Academy director general Liakat Ali Lucky, Chlachithra Parichalak Samity president Sohanur Rahman Sohan, Ekushey Padak winner Pavel Rahman, actor Omar Suny and BCJA general secretary Riman Mahfuz, among others, addressed the function with BCJA president Raju Alim in the chair.

Earlier, the minister handed over the BCJA Award-2022 to eminent personalities.

They are Rabeya Khatun (posthumous), Syed Shamusl Haque (posthumous), Gazi Mazharul Anwar (posthumous), Alauddin Ali (posthumous), Selina Hossain, Nasiruddin Yousuf, Liakat Ali Lucky, Masum Reza, Pavel Rahman, Ilias Kanchan, Mozammel Babu, Habibur Rahman Khan, Piplu R Khan, Mamunur Rashid, Sheikh Sadi Khan, actor Sakib Khan, singer Konal and Imran Mahmudul.