Urging the opposition leader to withdraw their 60-hour fresh hartal, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday called on people to build a strong resistance against those who blast bombs and take away food from their mouths.
“I’ll request the opposition leader not to enforce the hartal that will destroy the academic life of young students,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina, also the President of the ruling Awami League, was addressing a mammoth public rally at Pangsha University College ground here. The district unit of Awami League organised the rally.
The Prime Minister alleged that the opposition leader wants to disrupt the Junior School Certificate examinations, beginning on Monday, by enforcing another unnecessary hartal.
She also urged Khaleda to allow the students to finish their academic life peacefully. “Let them sit for their exams please.”
Referring to the previous spell of 60-hour hartal, the Awami League chief further alleged that the opposition leader killed 20 people in the last 60- hour hartal. “I phoned her and requested her to withdraw the hartal. But you all know what was the way she replied to me,” Hasina lamented.
“I had requested the opposition leader over phone to come to Ganobhaban for dialogue but she rejected my offer and took the lives of 20 people by enforcing 60-hour hartal,” she added.
Continuing her scathing attacks on Khaleda, Hasina said, “The opposition leader (Khaleda) only knows to kill people and play with blood. I’ll request you (people) all to build a united resistance against those who love to hurl bombs on others and take away food from people’s mouths.”
Sheikh Hasina said the opposition party in the name of their anti-government movement has been killing innocent people, destroying public and private property.
The premier also alleged that the opposition leader killed members of the police, BGB and army in the name of agitation and movement in the country.
She said the opposition leader wants to destabilise the country by killing people. “She (Khaleda) wants to create an anarchic situation to save the war criminals…in her last tenure, the opposition leader had allowed the war criminals to fly the national flag in their cars.”
Hasina said the BNP chief has got desperate to free the war criminals who had helped the Pakistani occupational forces to kill people, rape innocent women and make arson attacks in the country during the Liberation War.
The Prime Minister wanted to know from the opposition leader what actually her intention to play with the lives of people.
The Prime Minister said her government has strengthened the Election Commission, and over 5700 elections at different tiers of local government, including a number of by-elections, were held in a free and credible manner under her government.
Saying that the Election Commission will fairly conduct the next general election, Hasina urged the opposition to participate in the election under an all-party interim government.
Terming education the main tool of development, Sheikh Hasina mentioned that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for the first time in the country’s history nationalised the primary education and after three decades the Awami League government also nationalised over 26,000 primary schools and services of over 1 lakh teachers and employees.
The AL president said putting priority on education her government is providing free textbooks to students up to secondary level, stipends to 1 .19 crore students and introduced midday meal to check dropout.
Besides, Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust Fund was set up to help the poor and meritorious students continue their higher studies, she said.
Sheikh Hasina announced that her government will set up university in each district to reach higher education facility to the doorsteps of people.
In order to expand computer education, Hasina said, her government during its previous term withdrew import duty on computer and its accessories. “This time computers are being assembled in the country and low-cost laptops are being provided to students.”
The government has made computer education mandatory up to secondary level and it will be made compulsory up to primary level in phases.
Sheikh Hasina said as a result of various pragmatic measures of her government in the agricultural sector of the country attained self-sufficiency in food production.
She said the present government reduced the prices of fertilizers thrice and provided over Tk 24,000 crore to the farmers in subsidy.
The Prime Minister said initiatives were taken to open bank accounts for the farmers with only 10 taka to reach the subsidy money to the farmers directly.
To reach the healthcare facilities to the doorsteps of the rural people, Hasina said, her government during its previous term had established 11,000 community clinics and 4000 of them went into operation.
“But, the successive BNP government deprived the people of healthcare service by closing those clinics,” she said adding that her government after assuming office this time resumed the functioning of community clinics and recruited necessary manpower for those clinics.
Referring to the success of her government in power generation, she promised that electricity will be provided to every household if her party is voted to power gain.
Chaired by Rajbari district AL president Zillul Hakim, MP, the rally was addressed, among others, by Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed and Overseas Employment and Expatriates Welfare Minster Engineer Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Railways Minister Mujibul Huq and Rajbari AL general sectary Alhaj Kazi Keramat Ali, MP.
Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated Rajbari town protection embankment, newly-constructed Kalukhali upazila Parisad Building and Kalukhali-Vatiapara Railway Communications Project, Bank Protection of Padma River Project at Bahabdurpur in Pangsha upazila, Chandani Bridge on Rajbari-Kushtia Road, Pangsha Sub-Registry Office, Goalanda Ghat thana building, and Rajbari Press Club building.
She also laid the foundation stones of Kalukhali upazila Livestock Development Center, 30-bed upazila hospital, academic-cum-examination center building of Rajbari Government College, Technical Training Center building, Youth Training Center and Dormitory building for the blind children. -UNB
