Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said the country's democracy would have reached a better position in the democracy index if BNP didn't take the path of ill politics.

He said: "BNP took the path of ill politics by boycotting and stepping down from the parliament. It is also the responsibility of the opposition party along with the government to strengthen and resolute the democracy whether the opposition party is in parliament or not."

The minister said this while exchanging views with journalists at the meeting room of his ministry at the Secretariat here.

He also said, "BNP leaders including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and leaders of different parties of their alliance make statements everyday saying 'there is no democracy in the country and the democracy is in threat'.

But, the London-based 'The Economist Intelligence Unit' (EIU) on Thursday published the democracy index where Bangladesh has moved up two notches to rank 73rd now. BNP and their allies are making these statements and trying to create confusion among people," he said.

Hasan said Bangladesh has progressed in the democracy index in every year from 2018. Bangladesh's position was 88th in 2018, 80th in 2019, 76th in 2021 and 73rd in 2022, he added.

He said the report has proved that the statements of BNP leaders are fabricated and baseless.

Hasan said it is a collective responsibility of all parties to integrate the democracy and practice the democratic norms. The democracy of Bangladesh has consolidated under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and it is revealed in the EIU report, he added.

BDST: 1726 HRS, FAB 05, 2023
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