Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said they have shown great generosity to Khaleda Zia by allowing her to stay at home and receive treatment in a hospital freely, though Khaleda’s intention was always to hurt the Bangabandhu family.

“What do they expect from us? We allowed her to stay home and she’s being taken to hospital for treatment freely. Isn’t it enough? Isn’t it a great generosity? ” Hasina said.

The Prime Minister was addressing a discussion virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, the youth wing of the ruling Awami League, arranged the discussion at the city’s Krishibid Institute Bangladesh on the occasion of its 49th founding anniversary.

The Prime Minister said she allowed Khaleda Zia to stay home and receive treatment after postponing her sentence on an executive order on humanitarian grounds. “Now she (Khaleda) is receiving treatment in the country’s most expensive hospital,” she said.

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Referring to Khaleda’s birthday, Hasina questioned, “What does it mean by the birthday celebration, cutting cake on August 15? It’s just to hurt us who lost parents, brothers and children; isn’t it? Khaleda Zia celebrates August 15 as her birthday. If so, how can they expect more from me?” she said, adding that several birthday dates of Khaleda Zia have been mentioned as her birthdays in different documents.

Hasina also criticised Khaleda for rewarding and patronizing the killers of the Father of the Nation, making a killer of Bangabandhu as the opposition leader in Parliament in 1996, derogatory remarks during the August-21 grenade attack, not allowing former army chief general Mustafizur Rahman to receive treatment at the CMH, and not providing treatment facilities to HM Ershad in jail and Raushon Ershad, and unleashing tortures on AL leaders, including Mohammad Nasim.

“Now, BNP leaders want sympathy and cooperation! But I would like to ask them what Khaleda Zia had behaved (with us). What were the remarks of Khaleda Zia before the August-21 grenade attack?” she said.

At that time Khaleda Zia commented that Sheikh Hasina would never be even the opposition leader, let alone the Prime Minister, and Awami League would not be able to return to power even in 100 years, Hasina said.

“The motive behind all their works is to hurt us, not only by rewarding and patronising the killers (of Bangabandhu) but also in other ways,” she said.

Former chairman of Jubo League Jahangir Kabir Nanak and its former general secretary Mirza Azam MP also spoke at the discussion meeting presided over by Jubo League chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash.

Jubo League general secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil conducted the discussion.

On November 11, 1972, Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni (father of Parash) founded the Jubo League following the directive of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sheikh Hasina, also the AL President, blasted a section of people for their double standard saying that these people have a “strange character”.

“I see they speak against corruption but cry for corrupt persons at the same time. The person who is convicted on corruption charges will have to be sent abroad for treatment. Why do they have such a dual mentality?” she said.

Talking about the anniversary of the Jubo League, the Prime Minister asked it to work with goals to build a non-communal, knowledge and science-based progressive society, having the spirit of the Liberation War.

“If Jubo League can truly be developed with these goals, the future of this country is very bright,” Hasina said.

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Mentioning that the youth have been taking a leading role in every democratic movement, Hasina said her party’s last election manifesto was dedicated to the young generation as the development of the youth means the progress of Bangladesh.

“We’ve given importance to the power and potential of the youth to enrich Bangladesh. So, we mentioned in our election manifesto that the power of the youth means the progress of Bangladesh,” she said.

Noting that her government took measures over education and training, employment generation of the young generation, the PM said, “Our target is that the young generation will work to take Bangladesh ahead.”