While visiting New York last week, Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has categorically ruled out the possibility of any midterm election and holding any dialogue with Bangladesh Nationalist Party, as she find nothing wrong in the country after January-5 election.
‘Why there should be a midterm election? What are the problems for which we should go for a midterm election and for whom the midterm election? Is it to put the party in power that was created by power usurper Ziaur Rahman?’ she rather asked while responding to a volley of questions from Bangladeshi journalists living in New York.
Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York organised the press conference at its office on Friday.
Talking about dialogue with BNP, now out of parliament as it boycotted the January-5 national election, Hasina said she has nothing to do as per the parliamentary form of democracy for the party which is outside parliament. ‘Why dialogue? With whom?’ she asked.
When a reporter pointed to dialogue with the opposition party, she questioned about the definition of opposition party as per parliamentary democracy. ‘Opposition party! Which is the opposition party? What does it mean by opposition party in a parliamentary democracy,’ the prime minister asked.
As a journalist said about BNP which is now outside parliament, Hasina replied: ‘The party which is outside parliament is outside parliament; what can I do for that?’
In this connection without naming any party, the prime minister said if anyone boycotted the election, it was their decision, not mine; what I can do as they decided not to take part in the election.’
Hasina also said if a political party takes a wrong decision then that party has to pay for that mistake.
When her attention was drawn to the recent remarks of BNP leader Khaleda Zia at a public meeting in Brahmanbaria asking the ruling party leaders, including prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to get ready with their passports and visas so that they could flee the country hurriedly to avert public wraths, Hasina said she never fled the country.
In this connection, Hasina said that Bangladesh was her birthplace while Khaleda Zia was born in a tea garden of Shiliguri (India). ‘So I do not need to take visa, she needs it.’
‘God’s role’ behind BNP’s polls boycott
On another occasion in New York, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said it was the Almighty Allah who helped the country by keeping a terrorist militant outfit and corrupt party like BNP away from power.
“It was Almighty Allah’s blessings that they (BNP) couldn’t return to power; Bangladesh was saved,” she told a grand civic reception organised by the Universal Civic Reception Committee at a New York Hotel on Saturday.
Committee convener Dr Siddiqur Rahman presided over the meeting, organised marking the 40th anniversary of Bangladesh’s entry to the United Nations.
Hasina said BNP now has realised that they have made a great mistake by boycotting the January-5 general election. “I don’t know what was in their mind, but now they’ve realised their mistake,” she said.
The Prime Minister said the BNP leaders are now saying many things to justify their election boycott. “They’ll keep on saying all this because if a political leadership takes a wrong decision then that leadership has to pay a heavy price for that blunder.”
In an oblique reference, the Prime Minister criticised the US government as two of Awami League men were killed on the roads by miscreants in the USA.
She said if one person is killed in a country like Bangladesh, the US turns very much vocal about it. “What’s the irony, we’ve got two of our activists killed on the roads here (USA),” she said.
Nazmul Islam, vice-president of US chapter of Awami League, was strangled to death in New York in July last. She also mentioned another name, Belal, who was also killed by miscreants in Connecticut in 2012.
PM’s son and her ICT adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy while talking at the programme said it is rare in the world that a country developed like so fast this way.
He also said no conspiracy will be able to remove the AL from its aim to develop the country.
Post and Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Food Minister Adv Qumrul Islam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam, State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Polok and AL joint general secretary Dr Dipu Moni also spoke on the occasion.
Source: Weekly Holiday
