BNP not sincere about dialogue, she says
The Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) does not want to sit with the government, and hold a dialogue to resolve the country’s prevailing political stalemate, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Sunday. She also alleged that the opposition wants to create anarchy in the country for disrupting peace in the society, and harmony among the people. “We wanted to discuss the opposition’s adjournment motion on the caretaker government system, but they withdrew it. We also urged them to sit for talks, but they issued a 48-hour ultimatum to us. In fact, they don’t want discussion; they want anarchy in the country, so as to disrupt peace and harmony,” she said.
The Prime Minister’s remark came in her introductory speech, at a meeting held to exchange views with her party’s grassroots leaders from six districts—Tangail, Kurigram, Jessore, Lakshmipur, Kishoreganj and Naogaon—at her official residence, Gonobhaban.
Dubbing the civil society members who claim that the Constitution was amended within a very short time, as “so-called intellectuals”, the Prime Minister said the Constitution was amended after taking everyone’s opinions.
“It took time, nearly one year. So how can it be said that we had rushed through the Constitutional amendment?” she said, countering the civil society members. At the same time, she alleged that the “so-called intellectuals”, are misleading the nation by spreading false information in this regard.
“Besides, the High Court has also declared the caretaker government (CG) system illegal. That is why we dropped the CG provision from the charter, in order to uphold parliamentary democracy in the country,” she said.
The Prime Minister once again defended her government’s move to amend the Constitution, saying that the
present government also incorporated a provision in the country’s charter, to ensure that no one can grab state power illegally.
“We don’t want to see any unconstitutional force in power, as such a government does not bring anything good to the country,” she said. She reiterated that the country will be run in line with the Constitution.
Attacking opposition chairperson Khaleda Zia’s claim that if the BNP is voted to power, it would run the country in a new way, the Prime Minister said, “Actually, the opposition chief would start corruption using new methods, and create another Hawa Bhaban.”
The Prime Minister said the opposition chief would obstruct development works started by the present government. Highlighting her government’s various achievements in the fields of agriculture, education, health and poverty reduction, the PM said the present government is relentlessly trying to take the country forward, but the opposition was trying to halt the government’s moves, by creating anarchy in the country.
She alleged that the BNP is killing the country’s people, in the name of organising a movement to realise its demand for a non-party caretaker government system, to oversee the next general elections.
Calling upon people to vote for the Awami League for another term, to continue the ongoing pace of development, Hasina, who is also the AL president, said if the BNP comes to power, the country will again regress.
“The BNP-Jamaat do not believe in the country’s independence. If they are voted to power again, the country will turn into a militant state. So, the people of the country should vote the AL to power, for another term, to continue development,” she said.
Describing the BNP-Jamaat as plunderers and terrorists, the Premier said that BNP-Jamaat government had engaged in massive corruption during its last tenure.
Accusing the BNP-Jamaat combine of spreading lies over the incidents of May 5 and 6, the Prime Minister said the personnel of the law enforcement agencies had dispersed the leaders and workers of Hefazat-e-Islam from the city’s Shapla Chattar, but the opposition parties are trying to mislead people, by spreading false information that over a hundred activists of the party have been shot dead.
Referring to the last five city corporation elections, the Premier said that over 5,600 local government and by-elections have been held in a free, fair and credible manner. No one has raised any questions over the elections, she added. The ruling Awami League did not interfere in these elections, as it does not want to attain power by rigging votes, she added.
The Premier further alleged that the BNP-Jamaat government had unleashed a reign of terror in the country after assuming power in 2001. They killed hundreds of leaders and activists of the Awami League (AL), she claimed. They also killed AL leaders in the name of Operation Clean Hurt, she alleged.
AL advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta, presidium members Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Kazi Zafarullah and Satish Chandra Roy, joint secretaries Dr Dipu Moni (also the foreign minister) and Mahbubul Alam Hanif, and food minister Dr Abdur Razzak, were present at the meeting. AL deputy office secretary Mrinal Kanti Das conducted the meeting.
-With The Independent input
