PM urges everyone to vote for boat

Seeking votes for Awami League, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged people to elect only those representing the boat symbol in the upcoming 11th general election.

“I seek blessings from you all and want you to promise to vote for those who will represent the boat in the polls, in order to give us the mandate to serve you again,” she said while addressing a public rally on Saturday.

The rally was organized by the ruling party’s Taltali upazila unit at the Taltali Government High School grounds in Barguna in the afternoon.

“The boat symbol means development. All of Bangladesh is now seeing massive development as people voted for boat,” she said.

She also urged people to re-elect Awami League to uphold the country’s global recognition as a role model of development.

“I dedicated my life to the people of Bangladesh, to change their fate and give them a happy and prosperous life. It’s my goal to give the people an improved life.

“We have already taken measures to build a ship building industry and a ship breaking yard here [Barguna]. This will create jobs for the people of this region. We will see to it that people of this region can live happily,” she said

Hasina, also the ruling party chief, said her government would turn every upazila, union, and village into a township.

She also criticized the BNP for its activities during its terms. “What did the BNP do? They made Bangladesh a country of militancy and terrorism. They made Bangladesh a world champion five times in the corruption index… They pushed the country towards destruction.”

She said her government awarded the recognition of Qawmi madrasa education and was building 560 model mosques across the country.

She urged everyone, including guardians, teachers, imams of mosques, religious clerics, and locals, to watch over children to prevent them getting caught up in militancy and using drugs.

“Bangladesh will be a peaceful country and there’ll be no room for terrorism, militancy, and drug, on its soil,” she said.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, among others, also addressed the rally.

Plans for the south

Since returning to power, the prime minister also told Saturday’s rally that her government had been implementing huge development schemes in the country’s southern region.

She said the region was beautiful but that it had been neglected. “It’s only the Awami League government that works for the development of the region. Inshallah, we’ll take measures so that all can lead a decent life.”

Prior to the rally, Sheikh Hasina also inaugurated 21 development projects for different upazilas, including Taltali, in Barguna, by unveiling their plaques at the rally venue.

The projects include a 250-bed hospital in Barguna Sadar, two Fire Service and Civil Defence stations in Bamna and Betagi upazilas, a district library, construction work on a barrack for women police personnel at district police lines and other projects, extension work on the second floor of a hostel for blind children, Amtoli police station building, three union land offices in Barguna Sadar, Dowatola (coastal), and Hosnabad, repair of coastal embankments affected by cyclones Sidr and Aila, construction work on four-storey academic buildings-cum-cyclone shelter centres of M Baliatoli DN College in Barguna Sadar, Syed Fazlul Haque Degree College in Pathorghata, and Yunus Ali Khan Degree College in Amtoli.

The other projects are, Upazila Livestock Development Centre in Taltali, Bakerganj-Padrishibpur-Kathaltoli-Subidkhali-Barguna road widening work, one bridge, Taltali Upazila Parishad complex, Bamna Upazila Parishad Complex, Gourachinna Union Parishad Complex, One House One Firm project, and Palli Sanchoy Bank buildings in Bamna and Taltali.