Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Tuesday that vested quarters are at play to bring the militants, terrorists and anti-liberation forces of BNP-Jamaat back to power.
“Bangladesh is marching towards development after we have been elected in the Jan. 5 election,” she said.
“We have restored peace and discipline. But some vested quarters don’t like it. They are crying for those militants, terrorists and the anti-liberation forces,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Awami League, was addressing a discussion meeting marking the 94th birth anniversary of father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the National Children’s Day at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center on Tuesday.
The function was organized by Awami League.
Chaired by Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury the discussion was addressed also by Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, AL joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.
Hasina said BNP-Jamaat alliance never has changed its character of resorting to terrorism, militancy and corruption. She said Bangladesh was blacklisted as a country of terrorism and militancy during BNP-Jamaat rule.
Bangladesh, she said, has been freed from the ill reputation as her government during its 2009-2013 tenure ended terrorism, militancy and curbed corruption and money laundering.
“Bangladesh is now a role model of development,” she said.
She said that various kinds of plots were hatched during the January national election.
“Plots were aimed at sabotaging the election. When that failed they plotted so that we can’t take oath. There was a hint that a situation similar to that of post-1970 will be created. Playing game with Bangladesh is still on and it hasn’t been over yet,”
She said.
The Premier said that in the last parliament the then opposition attended only 17-18 days out of 418 working days. The then opposition leader and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia were present for only 8-10 days.
“Now we can see crocodile’s tears from some vested quarters for that opposition party, which literally didn’t participate or sit in the parliament last time,” Hasina added.
Mentioning that the 1996-2001 period of Awami League was a golden period for the country, Hasina said that had Awami League not assumed office that time, the people of Bangladesh could have forgotten the spirit of the war of liberation.
Taking a swipe again on such vested quarters without mentioning their names, the AL president said that they remained mum when the BNP-Jamaat alliance killed and unleashed oppression on thousands of AL leaders and workers after the 2001 election.
“Then they (vested quarters) had gone out of their sense, and their merit declined. But, their sense and talents have surfaced after the AL assumed office and peaceful environment prevails in the country,” she added.
Hasina went on saying, “They know very well that anyone would have to go through the wrath of Tarique Rahman if he or she speaks against BNP-Jamaat,”
She said that door of knowledge of the vested quarters only opens when peace prevails in the country and Awami League successfully runs the country. “We always remained engaged in serving the country’s people. We don’t run the country beating others as we want to run the country properly,”
Highlighting virtues of Bangabandhu as well as recalling her memories with the great leader, Hasina asked the countrymen as well as her party leaders and workers to live up to the ideals of the father of the nation.
“We’ll have to build a hunger and poverty free Bangladesh and this should be our pledge on the auspicious birthday of Bangabandhu,” said Hasina, also the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu.
In a scathing attack on late Ziaur Rahman, she said although Zia was known as a freedom fighter, he actually acted against the country’s independence as he had patronized the self-confessed killers of father of the nation.
She alleged that Zia introduced the use of black money, resorted to corruption and foiled country’s democracy where only curfew democracy exists.
Hasina said that if Bangabandhu had not returned to the country from Pakistan jail after the liberation war, then everything after the war of independence would have remained incomplete.
She said that Bangabandhu had taken all necessary steps to run an independent state during his short tenure of three and a half years after independence.
The Prime Minister alleged that the ultra leftists and ultra rightists joined hands and put obstacles in every step of building a war ravaged country.
Source: UNBConnect