Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the ruling party members of parliament to prepare for the next general election as half of the tenure of the current parliament has already passed, reports news agency UNB.
“Two and half years of this government’s five-year tenure has passed… the next election will be held after two years and three months. So, prepare for the next election,” she said.
The prime minister said this while presiding over the Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) meeting at Sangsad Bhaban as the leader of the house.
The MPs should focus on development works that have already been completed under the government when they will visit their respective constituencies, Hasina said adding that all the ongoing development programmes have to be finished properly.
A number of MPs who were present at the meeting said the prime minister asked them to visit their constituencies on completion of the current session of parliament and guide anti-terrorism and militancy committees alongside creating awareness among local people against militancy.
Meeting sources also said the women MPs of the reserved seats will not be considered to take party nomination for direct election.
About the recent terror attacks in the country, the prime minister told the MPs not to worry about it as the government has solved many problems in recent times. “We’ll solve this matter this time, too. Militancy is not a crisis at all and the government will tackle it.”
She went on saying, “Terrorism and militancy are now global problems, which are now occurring around the globe. We’ll be able to contain this problem although many countries of the world failed to do it because we’ve party activists and our party is very much strong.”
The prime minister praised the police and SWAT action at Kalyanpur earlier in the morning to demolish a militant den.
Former chief whip Abdus Shahid, BH Haroon, Shamim Osman, AKM Jahangir Hossain, whip Atiur Rahman Atik, Fazilatunnesa Indira, Hasan Mahmud also spoke at the meeting.
Source: Prothom Alo
