Newly-appointed six ministers and two state ministers yesterday expressed their commitment to ensuring that the upcoming national election is held in a free, fair and credible manner.  The Daily Star talked to them after they took an oath of office.

AMIR HOSSAIN AMU
Politicians have the responsibility to lead the nation in the right direction, said Amir Hossain Amu, an advisory council member of the ruling Awami League.
"I am taking my responsibility as a challenge. I will try to assist the prime minister in running the nation in the right way," said Amu who was in the 1996 cabinet led by Awami League.

TOFAIL AHMED
The main responsibility of the polls-time government is to oversee the parliamentary election that has to be free and fair, said Tofail Ahmed who is also an advisory council member of Awami League.
Tofail, who was in the 1996 cabinet, said the national polls must be held by January 24, 2014, the deadline of the polls-time government, under any circumstances.
Responding to a query, he said the PM's offer to the main opposition BNP to take part in the election-time cabinet was still open.
Earlier in September 2012, he refused to be inducted into the Sheikh Hasina-led grand alliance cabinet.

RASHED KHAN MENON
"I have sworn an oath with the challenge of overseeing a free, fair and credible election and hope that we [the new ministers and state ministers] will be successful," said Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers Party of Bangladesh.
Menon had also refused to be on the Sheikh Hasina-led cabinet in September, 2012.
He urged BNP, which rejected the newly-formed cabinet and said it would not participate in the election unless a non-party caretaker government was formed to oversee the polls, to resolve the crisis through talks.

ANISUL ISLAM MAHMUD
Jatiya Party Presidium Member Anisul Islam Mahmud described the present situation as "hard time".
Anisul, who had been foreign minister during the Ershad-led government, said the main challenge of the cabinet would be to create a congenial atmosphere for the next parliamentary election and also to assist the Election Commission in holding it within the deadline.
He expressed the hope that BNP would come forward to resolve the ongoing political impasse through talks.

RAWSHAN ERSHAD
A presidium member of Jatiya Party, Rawshan Ershad said she hoped that all the political parties would participate in the election and that it would be free and fair.

RUHUL AMIN HAWLADER
Ensuring a free and fair election is the main challenge of the newly-appointed ministers and state ministers, said Jatiya Party Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader.
They also aim to ensure participation of all political parties in the polls, he added.
"If we [the new ministers and state ministers] fail to create a congenial atmosphere for a free and fair election, our [party] Chairman HM Ershad told us, Jatiya Party will boycott the polls."

SALMA ISLAM
JP leader and editor of Bangla daily Jugantor, Salma Islam said, "Ensuring a free and fair election is the main challenge of the [polls-time] government and as part of the government it's also my challenge.
"We all have to take the challenge for the sake of the country's democracy."

MUJIBUL HAQUE CHUNNU
"Our main target is to oversee a free and fair election," Jatiya Party presidium member Mujibul Haque Chunnu told reporters.
"We have just taken an oath. Now let's see what we can do in this regard," said Chunnu, who had been deputy minister for land during the Ershad-led government.