Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday alleged that Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia had tried to hang on to power by killing her through the August 21 grenade attack in 2004.
The opposition leader had tried to remain in power by killing me,” she said in her opening speech at a views-exchange meeting with the grassroots leaders of Awami League from Netrakona.
She said the opposition leader always thinks to go to power stepping on dead bodies as did her husband (Ziaur Rahman). “This time Khaleda wanted to go to power by using Hefajat-e-Islam.”
Twenty-four AL leaders and activists, including its frontline leader Ivy Rahman, were killed and over 500 others injured in the grenade attack on an AL rally at Bangabandhu Avenue. Hasina also suffered injuries in her ears.
Criticising the opposition leader for what she said killing people in the name of agitation programmes, Hasina said Khaleda will not be able to gain the trust of the people with her destructive activities. “People have reposed their trust in us, we’ve the public support,” she told her party’s local leaders.
Hasina, who heads the AL, wanted to know how Khaleda is so confident that the next caretaker government will not put her in jail again.
If the caretaker government comes this time, Hasina said they will complete the unfinished jobs of the previous army-backed caretaker government. “They’ll do that this time…they still have that craving.”
She said a section of people in the country has a strong desire to be there in power, but they do not have the courage to go to people to seek their mandate. “This section always waits for getting something from illegal power grabbers,” she said.
Renewing her strong stance about the continuation of democratic process in the country, the prime minister said it is not possible to achieve anything without democracy.
Source: The Daily Star