No disunity within grand alliance: Inu
Dismissing any speculation of disunity within the Awami League-led grand alliance, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu yesterday said they would continue their fight together against "the alliance of communalists, militants and war criminals".
“I don't think there is any political dispute and disunity within the grand alliance. There's not any dispute over HM Ershad and Jatiya Party either,” he told a meet-the-reporters programme at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
The newly appointed minister also said AL leader Tofail Ahmed and Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon did not have any disagreement with the politics of the grand alliance though they had not accepted the offer to join the cabinet.
About the present crisis on caretaker issue, Inu, also president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), said talks over the government system during the election period had started, and it would be unwise to take any decision unilaterally. The general election should be held in a free, fair and neutral manner with the participation of all the parties, he said.
"Our government has invited the opposition parties for a dialogue but has not got any answer from them yet." If the opposition parties want to take part in the election, then today or tomorrow the dialogue must be held, he added.
Following a demand from journalists, the minister gave assurance of taking initiatives to form a separate tribunal to dispose cases of killing and torturing of journalists. "I will talk with the law minister and the home minister in this regard."
About the killing of journalist couple Sagar and Runi, he said he had already talked with the home minister about the murder and hoped that the home ministry would take immediate action to present a clear picture of the murder before the country's people.
Inu said he learned that many journalist killing cases had not been disposed of over the years or the investigations were not done properly or the cases were hanging. "I want to revive the cases and will take proper steps to speed up their disposal process."
About the eighth wage board for journalists, the information minister said he had already taken administrative initiatives and hoped that the announcement of the decision on the wage board would come within the next one or two weeks. He also said he would sit with the journalist leaders on the wage board issue for the journalists of broadcast media.
DRU President Sakhawat Hossain Badsha and General Secretary Sajjad Alam Khan Tapu also spoke at the programme.
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