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No dialogue, no early polls

Says Tofail

Staff Correspondent
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday ruled out the possibility of an election before the expiry of the incumbent government's tenure and the scope for dialogues between the ruling and other political parties on the matter.
"The tenure of this government will expire on January 29, 2019. Election has to be held in 90 days before this date. The door is always open for a dialogue on the [next national) polls," he said at a press conference at his secretariat office organised to brief the media on the outcome of his recent USA visit.
The minister made the remarks days after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a meeting with President Abdul Hamid at the UN headquarters stressed the need for engaging the "extra-parliamentary opposition" in social and political reconciliation.
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Tofail said the BNP had not participated in the January 5 election.
If an election is to be held now, it will be held under the incumbent government. If the BNP does not accept this, there is nothing to discuss, he added.
Regarding his USA visit between June 10 and 14, Tofail said the US officials had not raised the political matters of Bangladesh but he had briefed them on his own.
The US officials had not made any comment either, he added.
Responding to a question about Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's upcoming Bangladesh visit, Tofail said all unsettled issues, including the Teesta water sharing agreement, land boundary deal and transit would be discussed during her visit.
Sushma Swaraj is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on June 25.
Bangladesh already ratified the Teesta agreement and land boundary deal but India could not during the
tenure of the previous government as the then ruling Congress did not have two-thirds majority in parliament and the then opposition parties had strong reservations about the issues.
Since the present Bharatiya Janata Party-led government enjoys two-thirds majority in parliament, Bangladesh expects that the agreements will be signed, Tofail said.
The government will also broach the issues of transit and transshipment to India, though the connectivity will come automatically when Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and China establish the long-talked-about economic corridor.
FORMALIN ISSUE
The government will pass an antiformalin law, incorporating a provision of maximum life term imprisonment, the minister said, adding that stern action would be taken for treating food items with formalin after the law is passed.
The law will also specify action against the use of other harmful chemicals in food items, he added.