Dhaka: Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on Saturday underscored the need for strengthening the party’s associate bodies with a view to strengthening the mother organisation.

‘We’ll have to make our all branches (associate bodies) get stronger if we want to make our party (Awami League) stronger. Awami League will be well-built once its associate bodies are made stronger,’ he said.

Syed Ashraf, also the Public Administration minister, said this while addressing a discussion organised by Bangladesh Krishak League marking the 40th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at National Press Club, Dhaka.

Terming Krishak League a specialised organisation, the ruling party general secretary said, ‘The main activity of the Krishak League will be to protect the interest of the country’s farmers, communicate with them and organise them.’

Speaking on the occasion, Awami League joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said the verdict of the 21 August grenade attack case will be executed on completion of its trial so that no one can dare to carry out such heinous activities in the future.

About the demand of BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan to carry out proper investigation into the grenade attack case, Hanif said, ‘They had been in power in 2004 when the attack took place. What they did as they now are demanding proper investigation? The people of the country know it well that they had staged the Judge Miah drama to divert the real incident.’

Food minister Quamrul Islam, Awami League organising secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Krishak League general secretary Khandakar Shamsul Haque Reza, among others, spoke at the programme held with Krishak League president Motaher Hossain Molla in the chair.