Accusing the opposition leader of taking falsehood as her profession, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the countrymen to beware about the return to power of BNP-Jamaat who want to lead the country towards destruction associating with the defeated forces.
“If the BNP-Jamaat returns to power they will stop the trial of the war criminals. They also don’t want the victory that we’ve gained under the leadership of our father of the nation,” she said at a mammoth public rally at Islampur Health Institute Ground in Islampur upazila in the afternoon.
Food Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque, Land Minister Rezaul Karim Heera, Awami League organizing secretary Ahmad Hossain, PM’s APS Saifuzzaman Shikhor and local MP Alhaz Faridul Haque Khan also addressed the rally.
Hasina said: “The BNP-Jamaat does not understand anything else except killing, looting, corruption, bombing, grenade attack, killing police, and violating mothers and sisters.”
“They always put obstruction to the country’s development as they want country’s destruction,” she added.
In a scathing attack on the opposition leader’s ‘relentless falsehood’, the Prime Minister alleged that before the general election in 1996, Khaleda Zia used to say there would be no ‘azan’ in the mosques if the Awami League was voted to power. “But that proved false,” she said.
Referring to what she said the BNP chairperson’s another lie that there would be no ‘azan’, ‘namaj’ or janaza prayers in the mosques as thousands of Muslims were killed during the Hefajat-e-Islam programme in May at Shapla Chattar in the capital, the AL chief said: “But, after that there were ‘azan’, ‘namaz’ and tarabih prayers in the mosques.”
She added: “Even then, telling of lies by the BNP chairperson is either her addiction or profession… she has taken it as profession as she would continue to tell lies,”
About the increase of pass rates in different examinations held during the tenure of the present government, Hasina attacked her arch rival saying that Khaleda Zia only passed in ‘mathematics’ and in ‘Urdu’ in her Matriculation exam as she knows well how to make money through corruption.
“About Urdu, her heart is filled with ‘Pyare Pakistan’… the occupation force. So, she knows Urdu well.”
Highlighting the present government’s achievements in various fields, the Awami League chief sought votes for ‘Boat’ from the local gathering to give her party another chance to serve the nation, complete the unfinished tasks and unleash massive development works in future.
“I seek vote for Awami League…. we’ve initiated the trial of the war criminals, the trial will continue and Insha-Allah, we’ll complete the trial. Otherwise, they (BNP-Jamaat) will stop the trial,” she said urging her audience to pledge to vote for her party, while the gathering responded by waiving their hands.
She went on saying: “I seek vote for Awami League because terrorism and militancy have been curbed in the country during our tenure and country’s people could live and sleep in peace, and lead a better life. We’ll complete the unfinished tasks and implement massive development works in future,”
The prime minister also announced that computer education would be made compulsory in future at the primary level. She also assured to establish a medical college in Jamalpur apart from setting up universities in the big districts from government or private initiatives if voted to power again.
Regarding the opposition leader’s threat to stop all the development activities initiated by the present government if they came to power, Hasina alleged that the opposition leader would stop one after another the pro-people activities of the present government like free distribution of textbooks, community clinics and subsidies to the farmers.
She said every country usually moves forward, but whenever there is BNP in power, they bring in the forefront Jamaat, razakars and their cohorts, who committed rape, arson, mass killings during the war of liberation.
The Prime Minister mentioned that the opposition leader could not save the killers of Bangabandhu although she had called hartal on the day of delivery of verdicts.
She asked for whose interest then Khaleda Zia instigated the BNP-Jamaat-Shibir-Hefajat men to unleash destructive activities in May like burning hundreds of copies of holy Quran, uprooting electric poles, cutting trees, setting fire in mosques. “Country’s people will have to remain alert against them,” she said.
Alleging that the BNP chief loves the killers very much and wants to move with the killers, the AL president came down heavily on the opposition leader for issuing 48-hour ultimatum on May 4 to oust the government, rejecting her proposal for discussion.
“She (Khaleda) gave the ultimatum on May 4, but now it is October 10. I still remain well by the grace of almighty Allah and serving the nation,” Hasina said.
Accusing the BNP chairperson of resorting to militancy, terrorism, corruption, bombing, siphoning off money abroad while she was in power, the PM said: “Now she (Khaleda) went to Singapore where her son siphoned off money…we’ve also brought back that money which belongs to the people,”
Terming Bengali nation as a victorious nation, she also expressed her firm resolve to win the war against poverty and turn Bangladesh into a country free from hunger and poverty by 2021.
Just before finishing her address, Hasina expressed profound shock at the death of Dewanganj upazila AL organizing secretary Ahsan Habib Tito. Tito, who came to the rally to make it a success, died of cardiac arrest.
She also prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.
-With UNB/The Independent input
