Leaders will also be sent to jail if they lobby for drug dealers , rapists : Law Minister
Tarique Mahamud Joy, Jhenaidah
Noting that rapists or drug dealers cannot be the assets of any political party, the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister said, “If any political leader lobbyes to suppress them, then that leader and they will be involved in the same case and sent to jail. Even if they are leaders of my own party, they will not be spared.” He also warned that the government will not compromise on drugs and rape and will maintain a ‘zero tolerance’ policy.
Warning the corrupt, the minister said, “No matter how secretly you commit corruption, the government is monitoring it. The state now has many eyes, which is impossible to avoid.” He also said that all vacancies will be appointed with utmost importance to merit and no political lobbying will be an obstacle there.
The minister made these remarks while addressing a view-sharing meeting organized at the Jhenaidah Deputy Commissioner's office on Wednesday afternoon.
The view-sharing meeting, chaired by Jhenaidah Deputy Commissioner Md. Noman Hossain, was attended by Jhenaidah Press Club President Asif Iqbal, freedom fighter Kamaluzzaman, Chamber of Commerce President Moazzem Hossain, District BNP President Zahiduzzaman Mona, Civil Surgeon Dr. Kamruzzaman Sohel, BGB Commander Lt. Col. Rafiqul Alam, District Council Administrator M. A. Majid and Police Superintendent Mia Md. Ashish Bin Hasan. Officials from various government departments of the district, representatives of civil society and journalists were present at the meeting.
Criticizing the negligence of government officials in their workplace, Law Minister Asad said, "The Prime Minister of the country starts his office at 9 am. But many government officials in the districts and upazilas are still reluctant to come to the office. If the officials perform their duties properly from their respective places, there will be no crisis in the society or the state." He called for increasing the efficiency of the officials and reducing public suffering, and said that the government is making strong efforts to introduce a 'one-stop service' to ensure all services under one umbrella.
Highlighting the corruption of mega projects during the past fascist era, the minister said, "During the fascist era, a proposal of 60-70 crore taka was initially proposed to build a 4.5-kilometer road and later increased it to 280 crore taka. We found corruption after scrutiny and suspended it in the ECNEC meeting. The reality of the projects is now being evaluated to stop the looting of state money and the smuggling of billions of taka abroad."
Expressing concern over the drug situation in the border districts of Chuadanga and Jhenaidah, the minister said, "Drug dealers have become smart now, they are using drones to smuggle drugs across the border. To fill legal loopholes in the courts, they carry small quantities (10/15 pieces) of drugs, due to which judges are easily granting bail based on the quantity." However, stating that drug dealers are not strong enough to challenge the ethics of the state, he said that the government will be stricter in suppressing them. At the same time, he directed the concerned to quickly resolve the sensational rape and murder case of Tabassum, a child in Kaliganj.
Praising an environment-friendly initiative by the Jhenaidah district administration, the Law Minister said, “Jhenaidah has set an example in the entire country by installing 60 kilowatts of solar power at the Jhenaidah District Commissioner’s office. The surplus electricity from here will be added to the national grid. This model of Jhenaidah will be introduced throughout the country, which will reduce the pressure of gas and electricity in industries and factories.”
Regarding the budget for the current fiscal year, the Minister said, “This budget is very thoughtful, far-reaching, ambitious and a budget for public welfare. BNP could not hold any processions or meetings on the streets regarding this budget because it does not do politics of the country and the people. And those who hold processions and meetings to increase the prices of liquor and cigarettes are basically living in a fool’s paradise.” They basically oppose for the sake of opposing.
The Minister earlier inaugurated a state-of-the-art slaughterhouse built at a cost of Tk 11 crore in the Jhenaidah Municipality area and in the afternoon, a family card distribution program was inaugurated at the Baraipara School Ground in Shailkupa Upazila.
