Seeking reelection of her party, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reaffirmed that the next general election would be held in a free, fair and neutral manner.
“It’s my commitment, the next general election will be held in a free, fair and neutral manner,” she said while addressing a mammoth public rally organised by the district unit of Awami League at the Housing ground in Noakhali in the afternoon.
Speaking at her first public gathering after the ruling party completed its four years in office, Hasina said elections to many union council, upazila parishad and municipalities and by-elections have been held since the Awami League government assumed power this time, but no allegation was raised against any of these elections.
“Each and every election was held in a free, fair and neutral manner as because we believe in people’s empowerment and you (people) are the voters,” she added.
Urging the local people to cast their votes as per their wishes, the prime minister mentioned that her government has established a fair electoral system in the country so that voting could be held peacefully, and no one could snatch votes and stuff voting boxes through vote fraud.
Referring to the opposition leader, Hasina said, “We know her (Khaleda’s) heart is full of pains.” She also questioned why the BNP government could not raise the literacy rate in the country while they were in power.
In this regard, she said the AL government in its previous term had increased the country’s literacy rate to 65.5 percent from 45 percent. But, she alleged that during the tenure of the successive BNP-Jamaat government, the literacy rate again came down to 50 percent adding, “The opposition leader doesn’t want the country’s children to have access to education.”
Source: The Daily Star
