Turning down a media report on lawmakers’ staying away from ongoing relief distribution, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said most of the lawmakers have stood beside the vulnerable people in their respective constituencies across the country from the very beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“There is an unidentified quarter in the country and those who belong to this clique are out to de-politicise the nation and undermine the politicians, and whenever they get scope, they disseminate such motivated report . . . They were the supporters as well as beneficiaries of the 1/11 regime,” he said.
The information minister made the comments at a short press briefing at his official residence in city’s Minto road area on Sunday, reports BSS.
At the beginning, Hasan greeted the countrymen on the occasion of holy Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the greatest religious festivals of the Muslims, and urged all to maintain the health code during the festival.
Replying to a query, the information minister said the opportunists’ elements were the supporters of the 1/11 government. “These opportunists always try to undermine the politicians, lawmakers and ministers and publish such report . . . This is not proper,” he added.
He said there is an appeal from the government that every people should maintain stay at home rules and hence the lawmakers are not also out of the purview of this request.
“But most of the lawmakers run relief distribution activities in their respective constituencies by themselves or by their own people. You know that if a lawmaker visits his or her constituency, there remain a possibility of public gatherings,” said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.
Besides, he said, most of the ministers have been doing offices from the very beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. “Even, my ministry (Information Ministry) remains open every day and I myself attend the office. And I supervise relief distribution activities in my own constituency.Not only me, most of the ministers supervise the relief distribution activities along with their regular government functions,” he added.
Urging the countrymen to celebrate the Eid festival by maintaining health code, Hasan said this time the holy Eid-ul-Fitr comes in a different situation across the globe and Bangladesh as well.
He said that many Muslims countries like Saudi Arabia have imposed curfew to avoid public crowds due to the Coronavirus pandemic. But the government in Bangladesh didn’t do it considering religious sentiment, he added.
“For this, we need to celebrate the festival in a different situation as the infection has increased. I would like to urge the countrymen to celebrate the Eid considering the global epidemic,” he said.
The information minister said, “The Eid will be meaningful when we will stand beside the vulnerable people who are unable to celebrate the festival.”
Hasan prayed for early recovery of the affected people due to the Coronavirus and also prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul of those who died of COVID-19.