Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, on Wednesday sought votes from people of the north for the Awami League if they wanted continuity in the development of the region and a permanent relief from ‘monga.’ Monga refers to two periods in a year, September–November and March–April when poverty and hunger loom in the region for want of job.
‘I want you to promise that you will vote for boat [the Awami League’s election symbol] in the next general elections,’ Joy said at a
gathering in the Pirganj Government High School ground in Rangpur, with the crowd endorsing his appeal clapping and cheering.
Joy said, ‘If you [people] vote for the Awami League-led grand alliance, development works will continue. If you vote for the BNP, monga will return to North Bengal and looting will take its previous form.’
Joy said that North Bengal people faced monga each year and many people died but not a single person died for want of food in North Bengal after the Awami League government had assumed office.
‘We [grand alliance] will ensure that nobody dies because of monga in North Bengal if we come to power,’ he added.
Joy, son of nuclear scientist MA Wazed Miah, said that he belongs to Pirganj and he would get back there again and again, in the Rangpur dialect.
As for development of Pirganj, Joy said, ‘In the last elections, I promised that if the Awami League came to power, people of Pirganj would witness massive development works. Many of the pledges have been fulfilled. Other pledges will be fulfilled if the Awami League is voted to power again.’
-With New Age input
