Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina tonight said how the BNP-Jamaat clique will take part in the election as they burned people to death and want no development of the masses and most importantly fear defeat in polls.
"Many people say there is no democracy in Bangladesh and the BNP doesn’t take part in the elections. With which face the BNP will participate in the election as the BNP-Jamaat led 20-party alliance got 29 seats in the general election of 2008 and no question was raised about fairness. They are 20 parties, but they got only 29 seats and they later bagged one more seat in by election," she said.
The BNP-Jammat alliance boycotted the general polls of 2014 in fear of defeat, she said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while speaking at a civic reception accorded to her by the expatriate Bangladeshis living in Japan at The Westin Tokyo, here.
She went on saying that the BNP-Jamaat clique had killed 500 people in arson attacks alongside burning down 70 government offices and damaging public properties in an attempt to stop holding the national elections in 2014.
"If the people have human quality, they can never burn people to death. Those who orchestrated such fatal incidents in which face they can take part in the election," she said.
Referring to stop operations of the community clinics set up across the country by the Awami League government to reach healthcare services at the grassroots, the premier said winning people’s hearts is required by working for their wellbeing rather than to stop any given facilities.
She continued that Khaleda Zia said they had closed the community clinics after assuming power as the people who will take healthcare services from the clinics will vote for the Awami League.
The premier came down heavily on some people who try to say that there is no democracy in Bangladesh, saying; only they got democracy in Bangladesh when there is dictatorship, vote rigging and grabbing state power by giving yes or no vote in the country.
Foreign Minister was present on the dais while Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan Shahabuddin Ahmed gave welcome address at the function.
Sheikh Hasina, also President of the Awami League, said that the BNP-Jamaat clique had started the manipulation of election by various means, on the contrary her party had established free and fair elections in the country by preparing a voter list with photographs and introducing transparent ballot boxes.
"We have been able to hold all the by-elections and polls to the local government held during the Awami League regime in a fair manner," she said.
The Prime Minister said Abdul Hamid has made history in Bangladesh by serving the longest period as President and said goodbye to the presidency in a peaceful way.
She continued: "The fair process and practices of democratic norms and values only prevail when Awami League remains in power."
"There was no president in Bangladesh's history who could stay in power for such a longer period and can say goodbye in usual way," she said.
The Father of the Nation had been assassinated while the other presidents had ended their presidency in an unnatural way.
"It only happens whenever Awami League remains in power," she said.
The Prime Minister said there are some people in the country who do not see democracy in the country and have been favouring those who violated human rights and concealed bodies after killing people.
She questioned whether they have no human rights as they could not even file a case after assassination of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with her mother and brothers as the killers were exempted from their charges by enacting indemnity law.
"The killer had got gifts instead of punishment," she said.
The Prime Minister said two killers of Bangabandhu are now staying in the USA and Canada, adding that they have repeatedly requested the government of the two countries to send back the killers to Bangladesh.
"But, they do not pay heed to the request," she said.
Pointing at the USA, she said, "Giving killers (of Bangabandhu) shelters to their own country, they are looking for humanity in Bangladesh".
The Prime Minister said her government has done everything possible to stop the culture of impunity in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina called upon all to remain alert so that the society and the country might remain free from militancy, terrorism and drugs.
The premier urged the expatriate Bangladeshis to invest in Bangladesh, saying that they have taken measures for attracting foreign investments in Bangladesh.
Referring to establishing 100 economic zones across the country, she said they who have interest can invest in the economic zones.
Referring to the sufferings of the people across the globe due to global economic recession because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the premier said her government has taken every possible measure so that the countrymen won't have to suffer at least for food.
She asked all to bring every inch of land under cultivation so that Bangladesh does not need to depend on any country for food.
The Prime Minister said her government has been working to bring every person under the housing scheme following the footprints of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to make sure that none will remain homeless and landless across the country.
"No one in the country will remain homeless and landless in the country," she said.
Spelling out her government's measures for overall development of Bangladesh, the premier said Bangladesh has completely changed in the last 14 years in terms of socio-economic uplift.
She also vowed to transform Bangladesh into a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha