Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called upon people to resist those who would try to thwart the January 5 general elections and teach them an appropriate lesson.
“Many plots and strategies are being hatched to foil the elections…You have to build resistance against those who would obstruct the polls. You will have to teach them a proper lesson,” she said, while addressing separate election rallies at Mirpur, Pallabi and Uttara, in the city, in favour of party candidates.
The Awami League chief accused the opposition BNP of killing people in the name of resisting the polls and questioned the Opposition’s right to kill people in the name of a movement.
“They (Opposition) have no people’s participation in their movement,” she said, adding that they were killing people and felling trees in the name of a movement.
Criticising the Opposition’s movement, the ruling party chief said they had tried to put many obstacles in the shape of hartal and blockades, to foil the elections. “The Awami League does not buckle under such pressure,” she added.
Hasina alleged that the BNP is not contesting the polls to save war criminals and the Jamaat cannot take part in the polls, since the court declared its registration illegal. She termed Jamaat a militant organisation.
“As Jamaat cannot contest the polls, a grief-stricken Opposition leader also decided not to join the election process,” she remarked.
She called upon the people, particularly the young generation, to exercise their right to franchise in favour of the “Boat”, the election symbol of AL, and assured that the January 5 election would be free, fair and neutral.
Referring to the 1/11 political changeover in the country, Hasina said attempts are being made to recreate a 1/11-like situation of 2007, through imposition of emergency.
She reiterated that those who had hatched various conspiracies against the country’s people, like forming “King’s Party”, are still festering as they have no use to others in a democracy.
“But, if there is an abnormal, undemocratic and unconstitutional government in power, their importance and value grows,” she cautioned.
Hasina called upon the people to remain alert against those who come up with various formula, declaring themselves as eminent citizens. “They don’t want the welfare and betterment of people,” she said. Claiming that unlike the BNP, which ignores the people’s demands, the AL always does what the people want, Hasina added that the country’s people have been freed from a stigma by the execution of Quader Mollah for war crimes, since it was the demand of the people.
Accusing the Opposition leader of trying to save war criminals, the PM alleged Khaleda’s mission to save war criminals continues. “Her (Khaleda’s) job is to kill people, burn people to death by hurling bombs in buses, and hire people for bombing. Common people are in no way associated with her movement,” she added.
The Prime Minister regretted that despite her phone call and various other attempts to hold talks, the Opposition leader resorted to bombing, staging road blockades with felled trees, and burning people to death. According to the PM, the forthcoming election is very important for continuation of democracy in the country.
The AL president asked her party leaders and activists to reach out to each and every voter, and urge them to go to the polling centres and cast their votes. She highlighted various development activities introduced by the AL-led grand alliance government in the past five years.
The Prime Minister claimed that the city of Dhaka has received a facelift following different development works undertaken by the current government. “The country was known as a place of militancy and terrorism during the BNP-Jamaat alliance regime, but we have changed that,” she added.
Hasina pledged to carry out major development programmes across the country if voted to power again, alongside ensuring improved accommodation facilities for all, including those who live in the slums. “We will not allow anyone to play with the fate of the people,” she said. She was optimistic that Bangladesh would turn into a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041.
Mostafa Kamal Majumder presided over the rally at Mirpur section no-10, and Elias Mollah at Pallabi Eidgah ground.
Courtesy of The Independent
