Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina today reiterated her call for people’s alertness against murderers and war criminals attempts to regain power to destroy the country.
“We have achieved victory. We have to march ahead upholding the flag of victory,” she said while chairing an Awami League (AL) discussion at the Krishibid Institute Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium at Farmgate in the capital city, marking the 52nd Victory Day.
Sheikh Hasina added: “So, we all have to be alert to make sure that the killers and war criminals cannot destroy the country regaining the (state) power.”
The premier said BNP wanted to oust the AL government giving an ultimatum of December 10, when the process of killing of the country’s top intellectuals started just ahead of the cherished victory 51 years back.
“Is it (ousting) so easy,” she posed a question.
The premier said AL had demonstrated its capacity to topple governments in the past as “we had ousted Ayub Khan. We had removed Yahya Khan after defeating him in the Liberation War (and) we had unseated Ershad”.
She said Awami League, however, could not oust Ziaur Rahman but protests were staged wherever he had gone and “we also had removed Khaleda Zia on charges of rigging vote in the February 15, 1996 national election”.
The premier said AL also foiled Khaleda Zia’s attempt to stage a farcical election with 1.23 crore fake voters in 2006.
But, she said, it is difficult to oust the Awami League government through movements.
“Conspiracies are hatched whenever Awami League is in power. We had been barred from coming to power due to conspiracies in 2001. The people of the country had to suffer for it,” the premier said.
People have to take decision whether they want to suffer or to march towards prosperity with indomitable pace holding the flag of victory, she said, adding, “We will build ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2041”.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister and AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader MP, gave the address of welcome.
AL Advisory Council Member Amir Hossain Amu, MP, Presidium Members Begum Matia Chowdhury, MP, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, MP, Shajahan Khan, MP, Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdury Maya, Bir Bikram, and Simeen Hussain Rimi, MP, Joint General Secretary and Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, MP, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Advocate Mrinal Kanti Das, MP, Dhaka North and South City AL President and General Secretary Sheikh Bazlur Rahman and Humayun Kabir respectively, among others, spoke on the occasion.
AL Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, MP, and his deputy M Aminul Islam moderated the discussion.
Sheikh Hasina briefly described “Smart Bangladesh” in 2041, saying each person of that Bangladesh will be competent in using computer and everything including business, commerce, governing system, health and education.
All will be brought under e-system such as e-governance, e-business and e-citizen, she said.
“We will march forward in such a way. We have to continue the pace of Bangladesh’s journey towards development,” she said.
The prime minister said it is our promise on the victory day that “we will build the ‘Sonar Bangladesh’ envisioned by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman”.
Bangladesh have become developing country and “we will transform it into a developed country,” she added.
She expressed her wonder on how the pro-liberation forces like left leaning parties with the anti-liberation elements such as the BNP-Jamaat alliance forged unity to topple the AL government after knowing the country’s true history.
“One thing that surprised me, where the leftists are and where the rightists are. The leftists turned to around 90 degrees and stand under the same platform of the Jamaat-BNP,” she said, questioning where their ideal is and where their moral is.
The AL president also questioned how the intellectuals who are always talking about morality, have forged unity with the convicted accused in the 10-truck arms haul case, August 21, 2004 grenade attack case, money laundering case and Zia Orphanage Trust fund embezzlement case.
More to follow …
