Terming BNP and Jamaat terrorist outfits, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on
Wednesday blasted the opposition leader saying that she was out there to
fulfill her vengeance through burning people to death during hartals as she
failed to grab power through rigging votes with a fake voter list last
time. “Now she (Khaleda) is fulfilling her vengeance through burning
people to death as the country’s people didn’t let her to rig votes and
grab power through a false voter list of 1.23 crore,” she said. Hasina,
also the Awami League chief, was addressing a mammoth public rally at the
Khanjahan Ali Degree College ground here in the afternoon. Continuing her
tirade against BNP, the Prime Minister said, “They (BNP-Jamaat) only know
how to unleash terrorism, repress people and commit militant acts,
corruption and money laundering. But, AL never does politics of
vengeance.” Sharply criticising the opposition for making sniper attacks
and burning people to death in buses during hartals, she said, “They
(BNP-Jamaat) kill people during shutdown as people do not respond to their
hartals. BNP-Jamaat is a terrorist outfit as they burn people to death in
buses. How could a Muslim burn another Muslim in buses by pouring petrol
over him.” The premier said sniper attacks make those who believe in
terrorism and terrorists. Again blaming the opposition leader for
inflicting sufferings on the JSC and JDC examines by forcing authorities to
defer their exams time and again due to hartals defying her repeated calls
to withdraw that, Hasina said, “She (Khaleda) only wants to gain her on
interest and destroy the country.” “I could feel her (Khaleda’s) pain…
she perhaps thinks why should the children pass their exams as she herself
couldn’t pass her (Khaleda’s) matriculation exams? Hasina alleged.
Turning to the war crimes trial, the Prime Minister said the trial of war
criminals was going on since the present government made a commitment to
do that and the verdicts were coming out one after another, and those would
be executed. “The verdicts of the BDR carnage will also be executed.”
Accusing the BNP chairperson of making repeated attempts to protect the war
criminals, the Awami League chief said: “Don’t try to save the war
criminals through killing people, the nation won’t accept that.” Voicing
her strong resolve to make any kind of sacrifice, even shedding blood like
her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to put Bangladesh into a
dignified position at the global stage, the premier sought votes for
‘Boat’, the election symbol of Awami League, to reelect her party in the
next general election to serve the nation again. Referring to the 48-hour
ultimatum given by the opposition leader on May 4 this year to oust the
present government, Hasina said, “I’m still in power, still in Bangladesh
and will continue to remain.” She deplored the heinous act of
BNP-Jamaat-Hefajat cadres on May 4, 5 and 6, burning hundreds of copies of
the holy Quran, setting fire to prayers mats and the Baitul Mukarram
National Mosque. “Which Islam you (Khaleda) protect in association with
Jamaat and Hefajat…you are simply stigmatising Islam unleashing terrorism
and militancy in the name of it,” she added. The Prime Minister further
alleged that the opposition leader wants Hasina-free Bangladesh as she had
tried to kill her through the August 21 grenade attack in 2004 in city’s
Bangabandhu Avenue where 22 AL leaders and workers, including Ivy Rahman,
was killed. Listing various developments and achievements of her present
government in various fields, including the powers sector, she said that
the electricity to be reached to every house hold while one school and one
college to be nationalised in each upazila if her party is voted to power
again. AL advisory council members Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed,
Food Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque, AL Leader Sheikh Helaluddin, MP, among
others, at the rally chaired by Bagerhat district AL president Dr Mozammel
Hossain, MP. Prior to addressing the rally at Khanjahan Ali Degree
College ground, the premier inaugurated Mir Shakhawat Ali Dabu Bridge on
Nazirpur-Kochua road over the Baleshwar River, DN Technical
College-cum-cyclone shelter in Sharonkhola upazila, new building of
Bagerhat Pourashava, regional duck breeding farm, including Khulna
divisional hatchery at Bagerhat sadar upazila, Institute of Marine
Technology at Bagerhat, Shaheed Sheikh Fazlul Hoque Moni Technical College
at Kochua and newly-built office building of Kochua upazila Awami League.
Hasina also laid the foundation stones of academic building-cum-exam center
of government PC College, academic building of Kochua Degree College,
Sheikh Helaluddin Degree College, Signboard-Morelganj-Rayenda-Sharonkhola
upazila Muktijoddha complex, academic building of Rakhalgachhi Dakhil
Madrasah under Bagerhat Sadar upazila, Kochua CS pilot model school
building, Kochuria Ideal Secondary Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter, another
cyclone shelter at Khoria Arulia secondary girls school, KAASA Multipurpose
Hamid High School, Aruadihi multipurpose cyclone shelter and Chaderhat
Secondary Girls High School-cum cyclone shelter. – UNB
