Asserting that people want to see the continuation of the democratic process, not the caretaker government that had emerged through the 1/11 emergency, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday renewed her call to all to put up a strong resistance if anyone tries to foil the January 5 polls.
“We don’t want to see the government that had emerged after 1/11… the people of Bangladesh want to see the continuation of the democratic process,” she said while addressing a mammoth public rally in favour of party candidate Illyas Uddin Molla at Harun Molla Park in the city’s Pallabi area in the afternoon.
Emphasising that the next general election is very much important to continue the pace of development, the AL president said, “I’ll urge you all to put up a resistance and teach a proper lessons to those if anyone comes up to resist the Jan 5 polls.”
She also sought votes for ‘Boat’, the election symbol of Awami League, to re-elect her party as well as her party candidate Illyas Uddin Molla in the election for serving the people of this constituency.
Mentioning again that various plots are on over the Jan 5 polls, Hasina said there is a section of people or community who declare themselves as eminent citizens and their task is to destroy democracy and not to do anything good for people. “The country’s people haven’t yet forget the shocking experience of emergency government after 1/11 episode when numerous students, teachers and businesspeople were harassed.”
She also wanted to know from the opposition leader how she could forget that when she was arrested and had to pass through a troubled time in jail during that caretaker government regime when her two sons were sent abroad after giving them a good beating.
Continuing her scathing attack on Khaleda Zia that she does not want the path of discussion despite her repeated attempts, Hasina said, “She (Khaleda) wants to be with terrorists and militants. But, the people of Bangladesh don’t want terrorism and militancy, but peace.”
Blasting again the opposition leader for not contesting the Jan 5 polls since Jamaat cannot join it following a higher court verdict that termed it a militant outfit, the Awami League chief said, “The BNP leader’s affection for Jamaat is too much, you won’t join the election that’s fine, but who has given you (Khaleda) the right to kill people in the name of resisting the election.”
In this regard, the Prime Minister called upon the country’s people to put up a resistance against this terrorist and militant outfit Jamaat as people want peace and prosperity.
She noted that her government has erased the bad name of Bangladesh as a terrorist and militant nation caused by the BNP-Jamaat’s misrule. “We’ve curbed terrorism and militancy with an iron hand alongside checking corruption.”
“But, the BNP chairperson cannot like this as she would a wage movement rather than going for the election. Her movement is nothing but terrorist activities — burning people to death in moving buses, burning to death bus, auto-rickshaw drivers, rickshaw pullers,” she told her audience.
Citing that many attempts were made to create obstacles to the academic career of students in the last year, the premier said her party would never succumb to any obstruction as some 30 crore free textbooks would be distributed on Thursday.
Source: UNBConnect