Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said that BNP has tasted half-defeat in its movement when party leaders agreed to hold public rally on Golapbagh field in the city.

“They (BNP leaders) said that the government is afraid of BNP. Those who (confidently) said that the rally will be held at Naya Paltan, are now at Golapbagh. So who is the loser? BNP or we? Half of the defeat in the movement is done here,” he said.

Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, made the remarks while addressing a rally of Dhaka Metropolitan South Awami League at Natyamancha in the capital as the chief guest.

In response to the statement of the top leaders of BNP that they will hold the rally in Paltan, the AL general secretary said those who said these things are now in the Golapbagh field.

They could not manage to hold a rally in Paltan and in continuation of that, their programmes of movement have also experienced half-defeat, he added.

Noting that the game will be played against the evil-forces of the country, the minister said: “I have given many concessions and no more concession from now on. The game will be played against those who swallowed the democracy of this country along with destroying the values of the Liberation War and banned ‘Joy Bangla’ slogan.”

With Dhaka City South unit President of AL Bir Muktijoddha Abu Ahmed Mannafi in the chair, the programme was addressed, among others, by Awami League Presidium Members Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Shajahan Khan, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram and Advocate Kamrul Islam, Joint General Secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing Secretaries Mirza Azam, Ahmed Hossain, S M Kamal Hossain and Advocate Afzal Hossain, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Awami Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash.