Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday ridiculed the critics for their failure to see democracy and development in the country.

“I think those who don’t see the development need to check their eye vision,” she said referring to BNP leaders and critics of her government.

The prime minister was addressing a discussion on the occasion of the Independence and National Day-2022, joining it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban here.

Bangladesh Awami League organised the discussion at its central office in the city’s Bangabandhu Avenue.

Read: Govt working to restore Liberation War spirit: Hasina

AL president Hasina, who chaired the discussion, said the critics don’t see the government’s successes in bringing the cent per cent area of the country under electricity coverage, making the country as Digital Bangladesh, construction of Padma Bridge, Metrorail, Karnaphuli tunnel and Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

Noting that BNP leaders often allege that there is no democracy in the country, she said it is very unfortunate for the nation that it would have to learn democracy from a party that had been founded inside the cantonment by an illegal power grabber Ziaur Rahman.

“They’re saying that democracy has been destroyed. What is their definition of democracy?, she asked. “They are now giving lessons about democracy. It’s very unfortunate for the nation.”

The prime minister said AL restored democracy and returned the power to the people, which had been detained in the containment and pockets of Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad or in the fringe of Khaleda Zia’s Saree.

“Now if BNP leaders don’t see democracy and development, there is nothing to say,” she said, adding that BNP leaders have a quality that they can tell lies in good ways.

Hasina questioned why people would vote for BNP when its leader is either a person who embezzled the fund of orphans or a convict in a grenade attack or 10-truck arm haul cases. “The people will not vote for them,” she said.

Describing Awami League as a party of the soil and people, she said when it comes in power, the fate of the people gets improved. “Today we’ve fulfilled the commitments we made to the people,” she said.

Mentioning that the development of people is her government's main goal, the PM said Bangladesh will go ahead raising its head with the ideology and spirit of the Liberation War.

It is our commitment today that we’ll march forward so that the people of Bangladesh would get the dignity as a developed and prosperous nation,” she said.

Hasina said now ‘Joy Bangla’ slogan has come back and the history of the Liberation War has been established. “The people wouldn’t need to hear the distorted history anymore,” she said.

She said the people can go for Covid tests and take vaccines at free of cost in Bangladesh. But the free test and vaccines were not offered even in many developed countries, she said, adding that 73 per cent of the people have already received vaccines.

She said a three-day Covide-19 inoculation drive will be rolled out to provide the vaccine shot from Monday.

Read: No one can play foul with Bangladesh:Hasina

Focusing on her government’s development activities, Hasina said when her party came in power in 1996, it started providing free houses to homeless families through the Ashrayan project. Some 10 lakh houses have so far been given to homeless families. “Not a single man will remain homeless in Bangladesh in future,” she said.

About the electricity generation, the PM said her government has kept the commitment by illuminating every house with electricity as now the country is now able to generate more than 25,000 megawatt electricity a day.

She said the government even brought different islands and remote places under the electricity connectivity by supplying power through submarine cable or installing solar panels.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader gave the introductory speech.

Among other AL leaders, its presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Advocate Qamrul Islam and its joint secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud, organizing secretary BM Mozammel Haque, international affairs secretary Dr Shammi Ahmed spoke at the discussion conducted by AL publicity and publication secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap.