Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the opposition leader not to enforce any agitation programme that harms the academic life of students.
“I’ll request her not to enforce such agitation programmes that harm the academic life of innocent students,” she said referring to the opposition’s next possible hartal that might begin on Monday.
Sheikh Hasina said the junior school certificate examination will start on Monday when the opposition is going to enforce their further agitation programme.
The Prime Minister was addressing a mammoth rally organised by Gazipur Awami League at Bhawal Badre Alam University College with its president AKM Mozammel Haque, MP in the chair.
About the last 60-hour hartal, Sheikh Hasina said, “Had she (Khaleda) responded to my request and sat with me then 20 people wouldn’t have lost their lives. So, she’s responsible for these killings.”
Hasina, also the President of the ruling Awami League, said the opposition leader has gone crazy to save her ‘intimate companions’ of war criminals who had killed innocent unarmed people, raped women, made arson attacks and collaborated with the Pakistan occupation forces during the Liberation War.
Lambasting Khaleda Zia for frequently enforcing hartals, the Prime Minister said the opposition leader is shattering the economy with her destructive agitation programmes.
“She (Khaleda) had looted the country when she was in power and is now destroying the country by enforcing hartals and affecting the academic life of students,” she told the rally.
Terming the young students the future leaders of the country, Hasina said this is simply a mindless act to ruin their future through imposing destructive political programmes like hartal. “I don’t know whether the BNP leader will entertain my request or not as she always says no, but I’ll request her to refrain from giving any sort of destructive programmes during their examinations,” she said.
In this connection, the AL chief said the opposition leader hardly wants to allow the people of the country to get educated as she is an ‘under matric’ person.
She said that the opposition leader once sat for SSC examinations (then called matric, short for matriculation). But she got pass mark in only three subjects— Bengali, Math and Urdu.
Giving a short description of various elections that were held under the present government, Hasina said all the polls were free, fair and peaceful, and no one could raise any question about any election.
Hasina categorically said that the next general election will be held as per the Constitution. “Inshallah, the Election Commission will be able to hold the election in free, neutral and fair manner,” she said.
About Khaleda Zia’s demand for the restoration of the caretaker government, the premier said the High Court gave its verdict scrapping the system.
“She is demanding for the caretaker government, but the High Court in its verdict scrapped the system. The MPs in Parliament accepted the verdict. The government amended the Constitution to establish the parliamentary democracy in the country,” she said.
The Awami League President said the people of the country will cast their votes freely as there is a voter list with photos and also there are transparent ballot boxes.
She urged people to cast their votes in favour of Awami League in the next election to continue the ongoing development programmes of the country.
AL Advisory Council members Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki, Gazipur District Council Administrator Akhtaruzzaman, former state minister Alhaj Rahmat Ali, MP, Jubo League chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury, general secretary Harunur Rashid, Swechchasebak League general secretary Pankaj Devnath, Enamul Haque Shamim, organizing secretary Ahmad Hossain, Jahanara Begum, MP, Zahid Ahsan Russell, MP and Simin Hossain Rimi, MP also spoke at the rally.
-With UNB/The Independent input
