Dhaka-Describing 2019 as the election year for Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged Awami League followers, both at home and abroad, to carry out campaign for the party to retain power as it works for development. “Country’s development will continue only if Awami League is there in power. The country will fall behind if any other party other than AL comes to power,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while speaking at a civic reception on Tuesday evening organised by All European Awami League here at Four Seasons Hotel.
She said the next general election gets closer. “It’s coming, it is not far away; 2019 is the time for election.”
Sheikh Hasina said Awami League sincerely wants the country’s development as it sacrificed a lot for Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister also urged the expatriate Bangladeshis to start their campaign over the next general election. “When you’ll return to your own areas back home, you’ll have to ask one question to your fellow-villagers whether they want development or not,” she said.
Hasina, the chief of the ruling AL, said it is only AL that can maintain the pace of development as this organisation was built by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Briefly describing various development activities of her government, she said Bangladesh is now the ‘role model’ of development.
Regarding agitation programmes by a section of people against development activities, she said there are some people who dislike everything. “They always look for faults in everything and go for a movement. It’s quite normal there’ll be movement on each issue. Let them carry out their agitations, and let’s do our development works,” she said.
Turning to war crimes trial, Hasina said the trial of war criminals is going on and some of the verdict have already been executed.
Alleging that Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia had given the national flag to war criminals, she said those who presented the nation flag to the war criminals, should face the same punishment like the war criminals.
Mentioning various destructive politics of BNP and its chief Khaleda Zia, Hasina said what could they give to the country as they killed people in the name of a movement.
Talking about the election time all-party government in 2013, the Prime Minister said she had phoned Khaleda and invited her to join the election-time all-party government.
“Even, I had offered her (Khaleda) the Home Ministry, but she didn’t join it, she even didn’t join the election; she tried to resist the election. It was a conspiracy to destroy democracy,” she said.
Terming Khaleda a mean, the Prime Minister said she had gone Khaleda Zia’s house after her son Koko’s death to console her, but she did not get a chance to enter the house as the gate was closed from inside.
Terming the expatriates as Bangladesh Ambassadors, she urged them to uphold the country’s image through their positive activities.
