"Bangladesh is now termed the role model of development. We’ve eradicated hunger from the country. We’re uprooting poverty from the country and it’ll be uprooted completely,” she said.
Talking about the defeat of the BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront in the 11th general election, the Prime Minister posed a question, “Why people will cast their votes in favour of those burned people alive. People turned their faces from them (BNP-Jamaat)."
She pointed that the nomination trade and auction caused a serious setback to the BNP-Jamaat nexus. "How could they dream of winning the election after engaging in the nomination trade and auction? How’ll they win?" she said.
Hasina also said the people of the country rejected the BNP-led alliance as they nominated war criminals. "The people of the country won’t cast their votes for the war criminals anymore.”
She also highlighted the history of the Language Movement and said the pride of Amar Ekushey now resounds in the hearts of the people of 193 countries transcending the boundary of Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister paid tributes to Bangabandhu and recalled his role in establishing Bangla as the state language of Bangladesh.
She also remembered the contributions of Awami League to all the movements from the Language Movement to the Liberation War.
AL advisory council members Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed, AL presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and eminent novelist and Kaler Kantho editor Imdadul Huq Milon took part in the discussion.
AL joint secretaries Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, AL Central Working Committee member Akhtaruzzaman, Dhaka City North unit of Awami League president AKM Rahmat Ullah, AL Central Working Committee member Marina Jahan Kabita and Dhaka City North unit of Awami League general secretary Sadeq Khan also spoke.
AL Publicity and Publication Secretary and Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud conducted the function.
Earlier, a one-minute silence was observed as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the language heroes who laid down their lives on February 21 in 1952 for establishing Bangla as the state language, made the supreme sacrifice for independent Bangladesh, martyrs of the August 15, 1975 carnage and the victims of the devastating Chawkbazar fire.