Renewing her dialogue offer, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged opposition leader Khaleda Zia to join parliament and discuss all issues to resolve the country’s ongoing political impasse shunning the tactic of issuing ultimatums.“Your (Khaleda’s) all efforts have gone in vain…your 48-hour ultimatum has also failed. So, give up all these tactics…Come and join the upcoming budget session of parliament and discuss all issues to resolve,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the ruling Awami League, said this in her opening remarks at a meeting with AL’s grassroots leaders from Manikganj district in her official residence Ganobhaban in the morning.
The Awmai League chief also mentioned that there is no alternative to discussion to resolve problems. “So, sit for dialogue either in parliament or outside parliament for resolving the current political stalemate,” she told the opposition leader.
Hasina called upon Khaleda Zia to shun violent acts and said the people of the country have already got fed-up seeing mayhems, and they do not want to see such things any more.
The premier said that her party has the ability and strength to reply to these violent acts but they do not want to go for any confrontation as they exercise restraint and patience for the sake of the country and its people.
“We want peace, not conflict. So, don’t inflict sufferings on people by calling unnecessary and illogical shutdowns,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said she had called upon the opposition leader to sit for a dialogue, but she threw a challenge with a 48-hour ultimatum saying that Awami League will not find any path to escape. “Now who has lost the path, where is your 48-hour ultimatum?” she questioned.
The Prime Minister said had there been any other party in power instead of AL that would have given the BNP an appropriate lesson on who to find a path to escape or loses it.
The Prime Minister mentioned that her government through the 15th amendment to the Constitution stopped the path of illegal grabbing of state power in unconstitutional ways to protect the hard-earned democracy.
Recalling the atrocities on members of the minority communities and leaders and workers of Awami league after the 2001 general election, Sheikh Hasina said the country had turned into the haven of terrorists and militants during the previous BNP-Jamaat rule.
“But, the country is now known to the world community as the role model of development as the present government
has been working relentlessly for the country’s development.”
Hasina said her government has brightened the country’s image abroad by containing terrorism and militancy with an iron hand, and warned that there would be no room for terrorism, violence and militancy in the country.
She said the present government believes in people’s empowerment, plugging the scope of playing duck and drake with the voting rights of people.
About development of train communications system, the primer said new compartments and introducing new tracks for the welfare of poor and low-income group people.
But, Sheikh Hasina said, BNP and Jamaat Shibir activists are torching compartments and uprooting fishplates in the name of hartal.
“The main objective of Awami League is to uphold the constitutional rights of people and ensure their happy and prosperous life.”
Laying emphasis on uninterrupted democracy, the Prime Minister said establishing the rule of law and desired development of the country are not possible without democracy.
AL Presidium Members Begum Matia Chowdhury and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Joint General Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Youth and Sports Secretary Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul were, among others, present.
AL organising secretary Ahmad Hossain conducted the views-exchange meeting which was convened as part of a series of meetings with the grassroots leaders and workers initiated by the ruling Awami League at the end of 2011.
The office-bearers of Manikganj district unit AL, national committee members, lawmakers of the party, administrator of Manikganj District Council, presidents and general secretaries of upazila, thana, union and municipal units and upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen of the party, mayors and councillors of municipalities, chairmen of union councils and presidents and general secretaries of the associate and like-minded bodies of the Awami League district unit were also present at the meeting.(Source: UNB)
