Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged the opposition leader and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to stick to democratic norms instead of engaging in politics of violence. Addressing a public meeting at Mawa Golchattar following inauguration of two salvage vessels of the BIWTA, the prime minister said that an elected government cannot be toppled through killing people on the streets. She also criticized the opposition leader for issuing 48 hour ultimatum to the government.
“While issuing the ultimatum the opposition leader had said, the government would not even find the way to flee if the ultimatum was not met. In reality it is the opposition leader who now has lost her way,” the prime minister said.
The prime minister however appreciated the opposition leader’s decision to allow her party men to contest in the city corporation elections.
“It seems good sense has prevailed upon her and she is moving towards the path of elections,” Hasina said.
In this connection the Prime Minister warned Khaleda that she would not succeed to topple the government by killing people; “rather she would be lost from politics.”
“Let me make this clear. Stop this game of overthrowing government by killing people. You can’t do this; rather you’ll be lost from politics,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the leader of the opposition invited Hefazat and provided the Jamaat-Shibir activists with firearms to kill people and dislodge the 14-party alliance government.
The Prime Minister thanked the people of Munshiganj for electing all three Awami League candidates in the 2008 general election and said Awami League liberated Bangladesh in 1971 and the party is making relentless efforts for building a prosperous and dignified nation.
But, those who captured power through assassination of Bangabandhu, four national leaders and freedom fighters, have played with the fate of the people of the country.
She said, “In the past we have seen an election means a horrible situation and capture of vote centre during BNP regime. We experienced in Munshiganj that the poll result was cancelled after victory of an Awami League candidate.”
But Awami League took over office, the people have regained their power of franchise. Around 6,000 elections were held at different levels in the country since 2009 without any trouble, she said adding Awami League has successfully established people’s right to franchise. Sheikh Hasina said a country cannot prosper without democracy. “Over the past four years of our government, the country has witnessed tremendous success in every sector,” she said.
She said, the Awami League was in power from 1996 to 2001, and at that time Bangladesh achieved self-reliance in food production and literacy rate improved. Awami League introduced different allowances for the poor to bring them out of poverty. But after change of power in 2001, BNP started unleashing torture and intimidation. “Even they perpetrated grenade attacks on me in broad day light killing many Awami League leaders, including Ivy Rahman.”
She said BNP killed Shah AMS Kibria and Ahsanullah Master and many others, and did not leave any barbarism ranging from looting fishes from ponds, forceful cutting of paddy from fields and occupying the homesteads of Awami League leaders and workers.
-With The Independent input
