Reminding people that Bangladesh will again turn into a den of militants and terrorists if BNP returns to power, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday sought votes for Awami League in the next general election for the country’s peace and progress.
“BNP’s return to power will mean oppression, torture, looting, price hike… the country will turn into a den of militants and terrorists …so I seek votes for ‘boat’ (AL election symbol) as it brings development, peace, progress and dignity for the nation, and also because this party had liberated the country,” she said.
The Awami League president was addressing a mammoth civic gathering at the Osmani Hall Ground of Bangladesh Textile University in city’s Tejgaon area.
Before addressing the gathering, Hasina nationalised Shaheed Monu Miah High School as well as laid the foundation stones of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Ideal College and Sabujbagh Modern Community Centre Complex from the ground.
AL presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim MP, AL joint general secretary Mahbub ul Alam Hanif and Jahangir Kabir Nanak and AL city unit general secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, among others, addressed the programme with local MP Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the chair.
Maintaining her scathing attacks on the opposition leader, Hasina alleged 50-60 buses were set ablaze during the recent hartals enforced by the opposition apart from burning people to death. “I just don’t understand what kind of politics and movement are these?”
Noting that Ziaur Rahman had only left torn T-shirts and a broken suitcase for his successors, Hasina said that after taking power, the Zia family amassed wealth through unbridled corruption, as if the torn T-shirts turned into precious jewelleries while the broken suitcase into magic box which creates money and that was also siphoned off abroad.
About enforcing of a series of hartals by the opposition during the examinations, the premier alleged that Khaleda Zia called hartals defying her request causing sufferings to JSC examinees.
“She (Khaleda) had only passed mathematics and Urdu in her matriculation examination. Perhaps she (Khaleda) thought why should the children pass their exams as she couldn’t pass the matriculation exams, so she enforced the hartals?”
Regarding the observance of August 15 as birthday by the opposition leader when the nation mourns the death of the Father of the Nation who was assassinated with most of his family members, Hasina said, “What a shame, when I’m in grief, she (Khaleda) make merry cutting cakes on this day…this is her mindset.”
Hasina went on saying, “She (khaleda) has no affection in her mind. When she celebrates her false birthday, it seems to me that she was supporting that killings and encouraging the killers.”
The Awami League chief also blasted the opposition leader for her attempt to kill her through the August 21, 2004 grenade attack in city’s Bangabandhu Avenue where 22 AL leaders and workers, including Ivy Rahman, was killed. “They (BNP) don’t know anything except killing, and corruption. There are two virtues of BNP — corruption and killing.“
Listing various development activities of the present government in various fields, Hasina said that her government wants peace, prosperity and development of the country’s people and has been working tirelessly to this end.
“Bangladesh is now a role model of development in global arena, not a country of militancy and terrorism. We’ve enhanced the dignity of the nation, which was tarnished during the tenure of the BNP-Jamaat,” Hasina said adding that taking power by BNP means looting, corruption, burning people, oppression and torture.
The Prime Minister noted that after the assassination of Bangabandhu, the country had never seen peaceful election and handover of power except in 2001 when the previous AL government handed over power.
She also claimed that the country has advanced a lot in materialising the government’s dream of building Digital Bangladesh as some 3 crore people now currently use the Internet while the power generation capacity crosses 10,000 MW while pass rates in SSC reaches 89.3 percent.
Source: UNB Connect
