Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the people do not want to see the BNP and Jamaat in power again. She accused the BNP-Jamaat of unbridled militancy, terrorism, corruption, black money and money laundering during their rule.
“The people of the country don’t want to see them (BNP-Jamaat) in power as they (people) prefer Awami League… AL means peace, development, improvement of living standards, food security, ensuring healthcare services and free distribution of textbooks,” she said. Hasina was addressing a public rally organised by local unit of Awami League at Deula Chowrasta Ena Park Mela Math. Chaired by Engineer Enamul Haque, MP, the meeting was addressed, among others, by AL Presidium member Mohammad Nasim, joint general secretary Mahbubul-ul Alam Hanif, State Minister for Industries Omar Faruk Chowdhury, former RCC mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton and AL organising secretary Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan.
The Prime Minister alleged if BNP-Jamaat returns to power, terrorism, militancy and ‘Bangla Bhai’ would emerge again in the country. “BNP would bring in Jamaat-Shibir-Hefajat men and resort to killing, oppression, militancy, rape…we don’t want such incidents recur in the country.” Promising to implement more development activities, Hasina sought votes for ‘Boat’ from the local people to give her party another chance to serve the nation. “If we can retain office, the country’s people would get a better life and will be able to live in peace as we’ll build ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”
Mentioning that the region, especially Bagmara, was once a den of terrorism and militancy, a bloodstained habitat, with the rise of Bangla Bhai at the patronage of the then BNP Minister Barrister Aminul Haque and their leaders, Hasina said, “Killing people and nurturing criminals and terrorists are the characters of BNP-Jamaat. But after assuming office, we’ve turned this area into a region of peace.”
She said, “We want to make Bangladesh a prosperous country and establish it as a dignified state at the global stage…there’ll be no poor in the country as we’ve been working tirelessly to this end.”
In a scathing attack on the opposition leader, the Awami League chief alleged, “She (Khaleda) always wants her personal gain, remains well-dressed all the time ….she has no time to do something for the country’s people.” Referring to cases of siphoned off moneuy by son of the opposition leader, Hasina said her government has brought back that from Singapore. “Why do you (Khaleda) mind as your son has laundered money? Your son embezzled public money and we’ve detected that and also brought back and that will be used for public welfare.”
Criticising the opposition leader again for observing August 15 as her birthday, the day when Bangabandhu with most of his family members were killed brutally back in 1975, said, “Although it’s not her (Khaleda) birthday, she celebrates her fake birthday cutting cakes…she wants to hurt me more.”
The Prime Minister alleged that the BNP-Jamaat hands over arms and drugs to students, while the AL government ensures education for them. Mentioning that the opposition leader had only passed ‘Urdu’ and ‘mathematics’ in her matriculation exams, Hasina said Khaleda had passed the math because she knows it well how to make money through corruption.
“She (Khaleda) passed Urdu because she doesn’t believe in the country’s independence as ‘Pyare Pakistan’ is always in her heart and mind.” Alleging that the main task of the BNP-Jamaat is to cheat and deceive people, Hasina blamed the opposition leader for taking the country backward when the country’s people want to move ahead.
“People often say that the ghost has legs behind …had she (Khaleda) seen the legs of ghost?” Why does she want to the drag the country backwards? I want to ask the BNP leader?” Hasina said. Terming the BNP-Jamaat a great cheat for carrying out propaganda in favour of war criminals misusing the picture of ‘Gilaf’ of holy Kaba Sharif, Hasina said, “They carried out propaganda with that picture terming it a human-chain seeking release of a war criminal….what a great cheat they are can you imagine? How could they believe in Islam?” Regarding the Dhaka siege programme of Hefajat-e-Islam on May 5, the Awami League chief alleged that the cadres of BNP-Jamaat-Hefajat burned down hundreds of copies of the holy Quran on that night, which was unprecedented in the world history.
“I want to ask those who burn Quran how could they do politics in the name of Islam?” she said alleging that the Jamaat-Shibir men also set fire to Jaynamaj (prayer mat) inside the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque during Jum’a prayers. The Prime Minister also criticised the BNP-Jamaat-Shibir and Hefajat men for their propaganda regarding the alleged killing of people at Shapla Chattar. She said the Awami League government has always been serving Islam as Bangabandhu had established the Islamic Foundation and Madrasa Board apart from providing a huge land at Tongi for arranging Biswa Ijtema. “We’ve also made religious education mandatory, but to cheat and deceive people is their (BNP-Jamaat) character,” The Prime Minister also highlighted various successes of her government in the fields of health, education, power and energy, food security, agriculture, ICT and progress towards ‘Digital Bangladesh’. -UNB
