Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday called upon the people to resist those who would try to thwart January 5 general elections, and give them an appropriate lesson.
“Many plots and strategies are being hatched to foil the elections…You have to build resistance against those who would come to obstruct in holding hold the polls. You will have to give them a proper lesson,” she said while addressing separate election rallies at Mirpur, Pallabi and Uttara in the city in favour of party candidates.
The Awami League chief accused the opposition BNP of killing people in the name of resisting the polls and raised question as to who gave the rights to the opposition to kill people in the name of movement.
“They (opposition) have no involvement of people in their movement,” she said adding that they are killing people and cutting trees in the name of movement.
Criticising the opposition movement, the ruling party chief said they had tried to put many obstacle to foil the elections by enforcing hartal and blockade. “The Awami League does not bow to any obstacle,” she added.
Hasina alleged that the BNP does not take part in the polls in a bid to save war criminals and for Jamaat that cannot take part in the polls since the court declared its registration illegal. She termed Jamaat as a militant organisation.
“As Jamaat cannot contest the polls, a grief-stricken opposition leader also decided not to join the election,” she observed.
She called upon the people particularly the youth generation to exercise their rights of franchise in favour of “Boat”, the election symbol of AL.
The Prime Minister said the January 5 election would be held in a free, fair and neutral manner.
Referring to the 1/11 political changeover in the country, Hasina said attempts are being made this time to create a 1/11-like situation of 2007 through imposing emergency.
She reiterated that those who had hatched various conspiracies against the country’s people like forming “Kings Party” are still active because if there is democracy, then they have no importance to others.
“If there is any abnormal, undemocratic and unconstitutional government in the country, then their importance and value to others get increased,” she said.
Hasina called upon the people to remain alert against those who come up with various formulas declaring themselves as eminent citizens. “They don’t want the welfare and betterment of people,” she said.
She said the AL always acts upon whatever people want but the BNP always go against what people want.
Hasina said country’s people have been freed from the stigma through execution of Quader Mollah for war crimes since it was the demand of people.
She accused the opposition leader to save the war criminals and said her (Khaleda) mission to save the war criminals, continue the rule of terrorism and militancy.
“Her (Khaled’s) job is to kill people, burn people to death by hurling bombs in buses, hiring people for bombing. Common people are in no way associated with her movements,” she added.
The prime minister regretted that despite her phone call and various other attempts to hold talks, the opposition leader resorted to nothing except bombing, felling trees and burning people to death.
She said the forthcoming election is very much important to continue the democratic process in the country.
The AL president asked her party leaders and activists to go to each and every voter and urge them to go to the polling centers and cast their votes.
She highlighted various development activities unleashed by the AL-led grand alliance government in the last five years.
The prime minister claimed that Dhaka turned into a new city with its face changed following different development works taken by the present government.
“The country was known as a country of militancy and terrorism during the BNP-Jamaat alliance regime but we have changed that,” she added.
Hasina pledged this time to carry out massive uplift programmes across the country if voted to power again alongside ensuring improved accommodation facilities for all, including those who live in the slums.
“We will not allow anyone plying with the fate of the people,” she said.
She expressed her optimism that Bangladesh would turn into a middle-income country by 2021 as well as a developed country by 2041.
Kamal Majumder presided over the rally at Mirpur section no-10 and Elias Mollah at Pallabi Eidgah ground. – Staff Reporter
