Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday warned that all the extreme rightist and leftist groups are joining forces with the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party to try to oust her Awami League government, which has been working tirelessly for the welfare of the country and its people.
“Now they (BNP) are saying they will forge movement from 11 (January)…they got their as their companions the extreme leftists and rightists. All extremists are gathering in one place to topple us from power,” she said.
The premier was addressing a discussion marking the historic Homecoming Day of Bangabandhu organised by the Awami League at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC). Hasina, also the AL president, presided over the event.
On this day in 1972, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned to the newly liberated Bangladesh via London and New Delhi after spending nine and a half months in a Pakistani jail.
Hasina said that her government is so strong that it won’t be easy at all for BNP and its extremist allies to oust it from power.
“Let me tell you one thing. The AL works for the people and their welfare. Don’t think it will fall down if one shakes it. Things are not that much easy,” she said.
On the other hand, she said, her party does know very well how to oust illegal power grabbers and voter riggers. “And we had proved that repeatedly.”
She said that taking advantages of digital transformation of the country BNP has hired people who are spreading slander against Awami League on the social media and trying to confuse the people.
“They spread panic over the December 10 (rally of BNP) beating drums and trumpets, but it finally went to Golapbag,” she said ridiculing the opposition party.
PM Hasina recalled that Khaleda Zia was compelled to cancel two elections – February 15, 1996 and January 6, 2006 – that took place under her government.
“People deposed them as they rigged people’s votes. They were ousted and rejected repeatedly by the people. How would they practice democracy? They and their party do not have any democracy in them,” she said.
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She claimed that Awami League practices democracy within the party and also in the country.
“Transparent ballot boxes, voters’ lists with photos, ID cards and EVMs all have been introduced by us so that people could cast their votes freely,” she said.
Coming to power with people’s verdict, Hasina said, her party engaged all their strength for the development and welfare of the people.
“Advancement of AL will be continued. Inshallah, we will build Golden Bangladesh and Smart Bangladesh. This is our pledge to our Father (of the Nation),“ she said.
She also mentioned that supreme sacrifice of the Father of the Nation and millions of martyrs must not go in vain.
“It will not go in vain. People of Bangladesh will move across the world with their heads ever high,” she said.
The prime minister said that her party has developed the country following ideals and principles of Bangabandhu.
The government is advancing the country according to the AL election pledge and Bangladesh has already got the status of a developing country, she said.
Coming down heavily on Zia, Ershad and Khaleda governments, Hasina said that they had failed to develop the country.
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Elaborating the changed scenario of the country in the last 14 years, she said that the present generations cannot even imagine the condition of Bangladesh before 2009.
She said that those who were born 20 years ago and did not see 1975 and those who have no idea about the 1971 do not know how was Bangladesh during that time.
Saying that anti-liberation forces and the ghosts of 1971 had been in the state power for a long time, Hasina regretted that one of the killers of Bangabandhu became the army chief and the president of the country.
Not only that, the governments after the 1975 carnage distorted the history of country’s emergence, she said accusing them of narrating false history among the new generations.
Even, the freedom fighters could not tell about their identities, she regretted.
The PM said that after returning to power after 21 years, Awami League began working for the welfare of the country and its people.
Later, the Awami League government developed Bangladesh as a digital country and ensured basic rights of the people including their foods, cloths, housing and treatment, she added.
Hasina also elaborated lifelong struggles and sacrifices of the Father of the Nation for establishing an independent Bangladesh and bringing smile on faces of the people.
She said that the independence of the country was completed after the homecoming of the undisputed leader of the Nation Bangabandhu on January 10.
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader gave the welcome address at the programme where AL central committee members Professor Mohammad Ali Arafat, Advocate Tarana Halim, former Jahangirnagar Vice-Chancellor Farzana Islam, eminent actor Ramendu Majumder, Dhaka South unit AL Abu Ahammad Mannafi and Dhaka north unit AL general secretary SM Mannan Kochi also spoke.
AL Publicity and Publication Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap conducted the discussion.
Source: United News of Bangladesh