Urging the BNP chairperson to engage in talks to solve problems, if any, shunning the path of killings, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on
Friday said her government would get tough as much as needed to protect the lives of people and their property, and thus ensure peace.
“She (Khaleda) had wanted to thwart the 10th parliamentary elections, but failed. So, I’ll ask her to stop killings and not to
cause further sufferings to people. If you’ve something to say, it could be solved through holding discussions…but, if you don’t stop
killings, AL knows it better how to stop that,” she said. The Awami League chief was addressing a mammoth public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan
in the afternoon marking the historic Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury
presided over the meeting organised by Awami League. Asking her arch rival Khaleda Zia not to inflict further sufferings on people by
enforcing hartals and blockades in the name of movement, Hasina said, “Hold discussion and solve problem, if any.” The premier also
expressed her strong vow that her government would face any kind of resistance in the way of economic and social life of country’s people.
“The children have suffered due to hartals and blockades. I want to say that the schools would continue to do their regular operations as
well as the common people maintain their daily life ….I’ll also urge the country’s people to resist together subversive acts.” About the
post-polls attacks on minorities at different parts of the country by BNP-Jamaat-Shibir men, Hasina said, “What was their fault? They have
participated in the election and voted for AL as the people of Bangladesh wanted election and exercised their voting rights. The BNP
chairperson and the BNP-Jamaat-Shibir men would have to be accountable to people one day for such acts.” Comparing such attacks on the
minorities with what happened after the 2001 general election, the premier said at that time the AL was in the opposition, but now it is
in power. “The BNP chairperson has let loose the BNP-Jamaat-Shibir men against the minorities and common people. So, I’ll request her to
stop such oppression on the minorities. The joint forces have already started conducting their drives and many culprits have been arrested.
Harsher steps would be undertaken, if necessary.” Alleging that the BNP top leader now wants to destroy the country with the ‘fire of her
failure’ in thwarting the polls, the AL president said, “You’ll (Khaleda) have to pay the price of your faults for not joining the
election. Don’t try to burn the country’s people with the fire of your heart as people would never accept it.” Turning to the January 5
national election in which AL has own absolute majority, Hasina said various conspiracies were up against this election as the BNP leader
had called upon people to boycott this election. “But, it was the country’s people who had come to the polling centers and exercised
their voting rights defying all sorts of resistance, bombing and other terrorist activities as the voter turnout notched around 40 percent. I
express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the people for this.”
In this connection, Hasina thanked the Election Commission for holding the national election in a free, fair and neutral manner as also the
members of the different law-enforcement agencies for their help in holding the polls. The premier said the main motive for thwarting
the polls was to bring in any unconstitutional force in power and to play ‘ducks and drakes’ with the voting rights of the country’s
people. “But, the people of Bangladesh through vanishing the net of conspiracies have shown that they want democratic march forward
constitutional process and peace, and they don’t want to see the corrupts and terrorists again,” she told her audience. Noting that
Bangladesh has started its march towards the path of light, the AL chief said Bangladesh would continue to move ahead and prosper further
as the BNP chairperson has no power to stop the country’s progress siding with some war criminals and Razakars. “I’ll again urge her
(Khaleda). You have shown many games, now put an end, if you have anything to say, if anything seems problematic we could solve through
discussions,” Hasina said adding that whatever harsh words Khaleda Zia throws against AL and her those turn into blessings for them. About
the ongoing war crimes trial, the Prime Minister expressed her strong commitment to free the nation from its stigma as the trial would
continue while the verdicts would also be executed. Asserting that the country’s people would not tolerate any more the devastations
unleashed by the BNP-Jamaat-Shibir, Hasina requested people to resist the terrorist acts the same way they have continued the democratic and
constitutional process participating in the recent election.
Criticising again Khaleda Zia for burning innocent people to death through hurling bombs in buses, CNGs and other vehicles as people have
not responded to her call, Hasina said, “She (Khaleda) often curses me, but it goes back to her (Khaleda).” Mentioning that there are
many tasks ahead of the new government, Hasina said they would fulfill the pledges envisioned in the recent election manifesto like they did
in the last election manifesto in 2008. The Prime Minister also expressed her firm resolve to build a hunger- and poverty-free,
prosperous middle-income country by 2021 and a dignified developed country by 2041. AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, AL
presidium members Matia Chowdhury, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Md Nasim, AL advisory council members Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sen Gupta, among others, addressed the rally. – UNB
