The ruling Awami League organises a rally at the Suhrawardi Udyan in the capital marking the homecoming day of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Wednesday. — Focus Bangla photo
Prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said that the 12th parliamentary election was held in a free, fair and neutral manner.
‘So, none can say the election was held at night in spite of day,’ she said.
She thanked the Election Commission and others concerned.
The prime minister said that none could hinder the advancement of Bangladesh towards prosperity since her party was voted to power again.
‘I firmly believe none can impede the advancement of Bangladesh as the Awami League is voted to power again,’ she said.
She also said that the absolute victory of the AL in the 12th parliamentary polls proved again that the power of the people was the main thing.
‘So, none can play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people,’ she said.
The prime minister made the remarks while presiding over an AL grand rally at the Suhrawardi Udyan in Dhaka marking the Homecoming Day of Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The AL is also observing the Day as the day of jubilation for the landslide victory of the party in the 12th parliamentary election held on January 7 bagging 222 parliamentary seats out of 298.
Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh got the status of a developing nation in 2021 when the nation was celebrating twin mega events, the birth centenary of the founding president and golden jubilee of the independence.
‘The country could not march ahead if the Awami League was not voted to power again,’ she said.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the supreme commander of the country’s Liberation War, returned to independent Bangladesh via London and New Delhi on 10 January 1972, after 290 days of confinement in Pakistan jail.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Home Coming Day was observed on Wednesday across the country.
Sheikh Hasina, also Awami League president, thanked the people of the country for taking part in the last general polls spontaneously and voting her party to power again confronting every sort of fear, arson terrorism and conspiracies.
‘There had been conspiracies to thwart the (12th parliamentary) election. They (BNP-Jamaat) had tried to resist the people from balloting (by burning people to death through arson violence and distributing leaflets). Despite the fact, the voting turnout was 41.8 per cent,’ she said.
She added that the voting turnout was a great thing as the AL-led alliance did the election while the BNP-Jamaat clique tried to foil the polls.
To this end, the premier said the BNP-Jamaat alliance created the same kind of mayhem as they did in 2013-14 and they had failed both the times due to people’s spontaneous participation.
She said the people of the country had boycotted the BNP in 2008 parliamentary election in which the BNP-led alliance only got 30 seats while the Awami League alone bagged 233 seats.
‘The 2008 election result proves that the people of the country boycotted them,’ she said.
The prime minister said that the election was held in such a (good) way because her government formed the Election Commission (by enacting laws) while the law enforcing agencies and administration were at the hands of the EC and they extended all sorts of support.
‘We let the Election Commission to hold the election. We did not interfere in anyway rather helped to hold the election,’ she said.
The prime minister reiterated her government’s promises of transforming the country into a developed, prosperous and smart Bangladesh by 2041.
She said that since she had lost her near and dear ones, including parents and brothers, she considered the people of the country as her relatives.
‘The people of the country are my relatives. So, I am running the state to change the fate of the people,’ she said.
She thanked her party’s lawmakers for electing as the president of the Awami League Parliamentary Party leader again after taking oath.
Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, MP, presidium members Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya, MP, lawyer Qamrul Islam, MP, Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin, Jahangir Kabir Nanak,MP, Abdur Rahman,MP, joint general secretaries and information and broadcasting minister Hasan Mahmud,MP, Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, MP, among other, spoke at the rally.
Publicity and publication secretary of the AL Abdus Sobhan Golap and his deputy Syed Abdul Awal Shameem moderated it.
The prime minister also witnessed a colourful cultural programme.
New Age