Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday called upon all, including the officials and employees of Bangladesh Railway, to remain alert and resist the destructive activities of the miscreants damaging Railway property in the name of movement and hartal.
“I’ll call upon the people of the country, people on both sides of the rail tracks, alongside railway officials and employees to remain alert and stand against the destructive activities of these miscreants…assist in protecting the assets and play the role of guards,” she said.
Hasina also said the country’s people are now getting the benefit in this railway sector following various development initiatives unleashed by the present government.
The Prime Minister was addressing a function while launching two sets of the newly-imported high-speed Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMU) commuter train service on the Dhaka-Chittagong route as the chief guest at Kamalapur Railway Station.
Questioning the rationale of enforcing frequent hartals by the opposition for which the common people, especially the poor class, are paying the most, Hasina said when the commoners, including the day labourers, are suffering most during shutdowns, “Then, they (opposition) are chewing legs of chickens in air-conditioned rooms and watching movies.”
The Prime Minister alleged that the opposition is launching movements and enforcing hartals to press their lone issue of stopping the war crimes trial and they are also coming down hard on people.
Referring to the recent subversive activities in the railway sector, she said that punishment would be given to the perpetrators of such misdeeds and directed the authorities concerned to detect the miscreants in cooperation with the local people and the Home Ministry.
Sharply criticising the subversive activities of the BNP-Jamaat activities in the name of movements and hartals, Hasina said it is unfortunate to see the railway tracks are being set on fire, ill attempt was made to lead some 1,000 people to death when a train was derailed in Comilla following the removal of fishplates.
She alleged that the movements and hartals enforced by the opposition are only for killing people as they are now killing policemen, burning CNG and bus drivers to death pouring petrol on them.
“Just think how they (BNP-Jamaat) do their politics having such heinous mentality,” Hasina added.
Citing the hartal hour incident on March 28 in Chittagong when a schoolgirl, Antu Barua, suffered injury in her one eye, the Prime Minister said the opposition is committing such misdeeds in many areas across the country as they recently cut off the tongue of a ruling party worker in Gaibandha for chanting slogan ‘Joy Bangla’.
“Such heinous incidents can’t be allowed to happen in independent Bangladesh and we won’t tolerate that…the country’s people would have to stand against those committing such incidents,” she said.
Source: UNB Connect
