Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said, BNP's predicament is how to come to power by enslaving foreign masters.

He made this comment in response to questions from reporters after paying tribute to Sher-e- Bangla AK Fazlul Haque's mausoleum at the historical Shaheed Suhrawardy Udyan at 8 am on Saturday (April 27).

Obaidul Quader said, BNP is enslaved to get power, to stay in power. They do not consider public support as a key issue. Slavery to foreign masters leads to power. Their dilemma is still how to go to power by enslaving foreign masters.

Mentioning that he does not consider BNP as a democratic party, he said, there is no precedent for establishing democracy in their history. They have killed democracy, turned it into a farce. They never obeyed the democratic rules even within the party. They talk big, when they do the party council? Where did they party council? 7-8 years ago there was a meeting at the Le Meridien Central Committee. Jambu Jam style Committee of 501 people. Those who do not have democracy at home cannot establish democracy in the country.

Obaidul Quader said, national leader Sher-e- Bangla was one of the people who took politics to common people in this country. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman inspired the common people with the mantra of freedom. The farmers of rural Bengal will never forget Shere-e- Bangla. He will forever be remembered among them. He protected usurer moneylenders from tyranny by setting up State and Debt Arbitration(Rin Shalishi Boeard) Board. He is still remembered for that.

Commenting on today's pledge to fulfill their dreams, he said, today our pledge is to form Bangabandhu, Suhrawardy, Maulana Bhasani, Sher-e- Bangla AK Fazlul Haq non-sectarian Bangladesh. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we are fighting to build a humane and non-communal Bangladesh. That is the dream of Sher-e- Bangla AK Fazlul Haque and that is our pledge today.

'The waving leaves of the path are always a sign/ My paddy fields are green and yellow with love/ I am entwined and tangled in the wind/ Flocks and flocks of parrots are sleeping in the field/farmers's bride will be married, her haldi kotar sari/ Yellow dyes the sun beam connection / The jewel of the vine is waiting to be made / the foreign bridegroom comes and goes in the morning.'' The abstract image of the poem is embodied in a vast field. The hopes of the farmers are going to be fulfilled in this season.

Baisakh is full now. This is the time of Boro rice. Boro rice meets at least 55 percent of the country's food demand. Cultivation of this boro is more common in the 7 Haor districts of Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Netrakona and Brahmanbaria. If this rice is not damaged by heavy rains, floods and landslides in India, there is no shortage in the country's food demand. Therefore, favorable weather conditions, especially sunshine, are very important from the cultivation of this paddy to harvesting at home. Currently that situation is going on.

As a person of Sylhet region, I am familiar with the wants and desires of the people of this region. I am pulling them as an example. I have learned from them how important it is to harvest crops at home during Boro season. Hay storage is also essential to ensure food security for livestock. Hot sun is not a problem here, it is a pleasure because even if this sun burns the body, it shows the way to the meaningful implementation of the chest full of hope. The country's food demand and food security are largely dependent on this Boro rice. So every stage starting from cultivation requires the help of nature. So far that support has been in place, though a cloud of fear with a storm earlier this month. It has moved away for now.

Farmers need intense sun now. They're getting it. Intense heat in the country is prevailing. This is no exception here. Yet they are praying for this sun. Rain is now a disaster for them because this rain and super-rainy floods can crush their dreams and wash them all away. Farmers of Sunamganj have not forgotten the sad memories of 2017. That year, Sunamganj's small and large crops of 137 haors were swept away by the flood. Last time the farmer brought home the crop without any problems. Last year at least 20 haor crops were lost due to floods.

Farm crops depend on nature, food security of the country. The extreme heat here has little effect. Burnt in the sun, with umbrellas on their heads if necessary, the farmers dream at home. Instead of praying for rain, they prayed for the sun to continue for a few more days. Farmers want moderate rain in the month of Chaitra, full sun in Boishakh, because golden rice grows in this sun. According to folklore, during the paddy harvesting season, the haor people used to invite spiritual leaders or 'Hirals' and 'Hiralis' to protect the crops from storms and natural calamities. They would come and recite mantras and try to stop the storm. People before old beliefs used to perform such rituals. Whether these would actually work is a matter of debate and personal belief, but the farmers of haor do not want any rain on Boisakh because of the invitation of these Hiral-Hirals.

While the people of Haor area are praying for continued sunshine, people burning in intense heat all over the country are praying for rain. Istiska prayers are being offered in various parts of the country to pray for rain, there are pictures of this in the media. Somewhere with strong faith, some are giving 'frog marriage', that too in prayer for rain. Some are also raising the question of which is more important, rain or paddy, due to the intensity of heat on social media. Not only that, the world media has published news about the severe heat wave in Bangladesh. The New York Times, BBC, AFP and Times of India have reported on the suffering of the people of the country due to extreme heat. According to the media, the closure of educational institutions in Bangladesh has also been announced for the second year in a row due to extreme heat. The world media has also mentioned the organization of prayers for rain.

On the one hand, the extreme heat, on the other hand, the uncertainty of bringing home rice, the main ingredient of food security, but temporary relief seems to be the main thing for many. However, if it did not rain in the fields for ten days, the rice would grow in the farmer's house. Food safety was ensured.

We have no control over nature; However, I think farmers should be important in expressing our aspirations. Our wishes may not change the pattern of nature, the rain will not fall suddenly in the land of intense sun, but the farmer will be relieved by the desire of the sun until the rice is brought home; You can think that this country is with them.

May the farmer win! Let nature be with the farmer, at least in the boro-area. 

In Sylhet, 20 students could not take the BCS preliminary exam because they came 1 minute late to the center.

The incident took place at Sylhet Blue Bird High School center on Friday (April 26) morning

The students complained that the examination started at 10 am, but according to the instructions, they had to enter the center 30 minutes earlier. But when they arrived at 9:31 am, they were not allowed inside. Meanwhile, the gate was closed after 9:30 in the morning even though there was a queue to enter the examination center. At this time, many people tried to enter the center through the gate. Many shouted. But the central authorities did not lose heart.

This exam of 200 marks organized by the Public Service Commission (PSC) was held from 10 AM to 12 PM. The authorities of Sylhet Blue Bird High School center said that there is no opportunity to deviate from the rules in the examination.

Sylhet Blue Bird High School Center Hall Super Husna Ara said, we have followed the instructions of PSC. In a meeting yesterday, it was said that no candidate will be allowed to enter the center after 9:30 am. So we closed the gate after nine thirty. No one was allowed to enter. There is no opportunity to consider the humanitarian aspect here as they are the future leaders of Bangladesh. And it is an important test. Everyone here must maintain time. PSC high-ups also came to visit here. We told him about this. He said we have done the right. 

The ongoing civil war in Myanmar's Rakhine has spread to the border areas of Bangladesh. In such a situation, an international dialogue is being organized in Dhaka with the participation of analysts from different countries on the security crisis of Bangladesh and the impact of instability in the neighboring states.

The event will be held at the EMK Center in the capital on the initiative of Cox's Bazar International Forum (CBIF) in collaboration with Bangladesh Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs (BCIPA) on Saturday (April 27) morning.

The informal dialogue titled "Building Bridges of Harmony: A Holistic Strategy for Social Cohesion, Peace and Stability in Post-Civil War Arakan/Rakhine" has experienced and related experts from Bangladesh, USA, UK, The Netherlands, Japan and Myanmar participating as moderators and discussants.

Former Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division Lieutenant General (retd) Mahfuzur Rahman, former Ambassador and Defense Expert Major General (retd) Shahidul Haque, former Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Shakhawat Hossain, Executive of BCIPA will be present in the discussion from Bangladesh. Director Professor Shahab Inam Khan, researcher and writer Altaf Parvez and many others.

Minister of Federal Union Affairs of National Unity Government- NUG from Myanmar Liang Mong Sakhong, Deputy Minister of Human Rights Ang Ky M, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Moo Zhou Wu, Spokesperson of NUG President's Office JK, former Member of Parliament U Sue Mong, Chairman of Arakan Rohingya National Alliance Nurul Islam and others will be speakers.

In addition, many representatives from the United Nations, embassies of different countries and representatives of international media will speak in the discussion.

In the dialogue, the locals of Cox's Bazar will share their experience with the Bangladesh border situation, said Sujan Sharma, joint convener of CBIF.

Mohibbul Moqtadier Tanim, Joint Convener of CBIF said, "CBIF is working towards a sustainable and inclusive future by including various communities in Cox's Bazar to solve various problems, as part of which this international dialogue is organized."

Earlier, Cox's Bazar International Forum organized a webinar titled "Navigating the Ripple Effect: Examining the Impact of the Rohingya Crisis on Host Communities and Charting Paths to Durable Solutions" after its official debut in December last year.