Visible activity by banned party reflects national failure: Rabiul

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has said visible activities of a banned political party represent a failure of the nation.

"I do not wish to comment on the banned party. It was once a political party, but in acting against public aspirations and positioning itself in opposition to the people, it has become abandoned, rejected by the public and ultimately banned," he told journalists this morning (23 June).

"A ban means a ban," Rabiul, who is also minister of railways and shipping, said after inaugurating a tree-planting programme of Bangladesh Railway beneath the viaduct at the Dhaka end of the railway bridge constructed over the Dhaleshwari River in the Char Golgolia area of Sirajdikhan upazila in Munshiganj.

The key question is how the nation views the banning of the political party, the minister said, referring to the Awami League. 

"The party was banned because the nation wanted it to be banned. The mass uprising sought its prohibition. The people of the country compelled those leaders to flee. It is the people who confer legitimacy on a political party. Now, the people have rejected and banned it, and the law has also prohibited it. Therefore, it is preferable not to discuss any banned matter," he said.

On a different topic, the minister further said the government is identifying land owned by various ministries and agencies.

"Plots exceeding one acre are being categorised separately, while those below one acre are being classified differently. Land parcels larger than three acres are also being identified under a separate category," he said.

He said that one megawatt of electricity could be generated from more than three acres of land.

"Land parcels exceeding three acres will be identified for the installation of solar power facilities. The electricity generated will be used locally and supplied to the national grid through solar power generation," he said.