From JS Bhavan: Awami League Joint general secretary and Information minister Dr. Hassan Mahmud said that the presence of voters was less due to the negative campaign of BNP in the just concluded city corporation election. Hasan Mahmud said had there was no negative publicity of BNP against EVM there would have been more 8-10 percent casting.
He said that the recently held election in Dhaka city was very fair and good in the context of the any election in the sub-continent.
He said this while taking part in a discussion on the President's speech at the Jatiyo Sangsad session on Monday (Feb. 3). Deputy Speaker Md. Fazle Rabbi Mia was in the chair.
Explaining the context of the city elections in Kolkata, the Information minister said, in the history of Dhaka city, this election was a wonderful election in the context of any local government elections in Bangladesh that there was no turmoil in the election. There was no incident of center occupation in the election. This was a very good election in the context of the sub continental point of view.
He said that some wrote in the news paper that very few people turned up at the polling centers. Turning to the United States he disclosed that only 60 percent of the eligible voters get their name registered as voters. Of them only 40-42 or 50 percent cast their votes. It means that only 24-30 votes are cast in USA. The vote rate in our city election would have been much higher had the BNP not carried a negative campaign.
Highlighting the various developments of the government Hasan Mahmud said, "We are moving at an unbeatable pace to overcome poverty." Hassan Mahmud said Sheikh Hasina not only wants to create a better state, but also an advanced nation. If there was no politics of throwing petrol bombs in the country, Bangladesh could go further. Because of the negative politics of the BNP, development was not as much as it was supposed to be. In the name of the BNP movement, in the name of election foil, petrol bombs were hurled and burned. Voting centers burned, schools burned, children cried for books. After the election of two city corporations in Dhaka, the BNP said people have lost interest in voting. If people lose interest in voting in elections, then it is lost for BNP. This election also confused people, due to negative propaganda about EVM due to reduced voter turnout by 8-10 percent.
Regarding the development the Information minister said that today Pakistan regrets now to see the progress of Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina's leadership. Today, Bangladesh has surpassed Pakistan on all indicators. In Bangladesh, the per capita income was 377 dollars. At that time Pakistan's per capita income was 760 dollars. Bangladesh's per capita income now stands at 2000 dollars at the end of 2019 while of Pakistan were 1700 dollars. Bangladesh's export income was 47 billion dollars while of Pakistan was 23 billion dollar. The exchange rate of the dollar with Bangladeshi currency is Taka 84 while of Pakistan Is Rupees 153.96 and often it becomes Rs. 154. Not only has that in some cases Bangladesh surpassed India. In sanitation the achievement of Bangladesh is 99 percent while of India is 59 percent. In Bangladesh 98 percent people are getting pure drinking water while in India only 88 percent people have the access to pure drinking water.