Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said there is now no scope for the BNP to come to power with the support of foreigners.
“It seems that they (BNP) are dreaming that someone would come from outside of the country to put them in power. Perhaps they once were able to do so by currying favours (with others). Now there is no scope to go to power anymore taking outside favours,” she said.
The premier said this while chairing a discussion arranged by Bangladesh Awami League (AL) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city, marking the Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day-2023.
Hasina, also the AL president, said her party was not allowed to stage processions and rallies during the BNP regime. AL faced obstacles everywhere and its leaders and activists were tortured. Even AL women were beaten and their clothes were torn down on the streets at that time.
“How can we forget it? But we didn’t go to take revenge. We paid attention to the development of Bangladesh and we worked to develop Bangladesh,” she said.
She said though BNP did it, now AL does nothing against them. Even after that they are complaining and trying to buy favours at home and abroad, she added.
The PM said the people of Bangladesh are now very conscious as they know much about their country. “They know our goal. None can deny that we worked for the people. Today, the scenario of Bangladesh has massively changed. We’ve been able to develop the whole of Bangladesh not only the Dhaka city,” she said.
She wondered how the people can forget the arson violence indulged by BNP and Jamaat. “They played with fire. Does the BNP think once that what would be their condition if now the people play this game of fire against them (BNP),” she said.
Hasina called upon the people to be more alert against these arson terrorists.
She asked her party leaders and activists to raise the misdeeds of the BNP before the people.
She also questioned how those who siphon off money, sell the interest of the country and kill people burning alive now can dream to go to power again.
The premier said her government transformed the country into a developing economy defying natural disasters and manmade disasters, including Covid-19 pandemic and arson violence.
She said only the AL ensured the voting rights of the people. BNP was founded by an illegal power grabber and so, the birth of BNP was illegal.
She asked the people of the country to reject BNP as illegal, saying that they never want the welfare of the people, rather they looted the country, stigmatized the constitution, spoiled the spirit of the Liberation War and did everything to destroy the nation during their regimes.
Noting that now Bangladesh is considered as a role model for development in the world, Sheikh Hasina said the trend of this development will have to be maintained.
“If you can reach information regarding our development works done in the country and respective areas to every house, we will have no problem with vote and none can snatch power anymore,” she said pointing at her party leaders and activists.
Hasina said they will not allow these miscreants (BNP) to play duck and drake with the fate of the people anymore.
“No matter what happens, we can’t put the people in the hands of these monsters…. If they come to power, they will destroy the status of a developing country as well,” she said.
Put importance to mother language: PM
The PM asked the children to pay importance to their mother language properly alongside learning other languages in today's world which has turned into a global village.
"There is no problem in learning other languages. But it is dispensable to put importance on mother language,” she said.
Hasina criticised the tendency of speaking Bangla in an English accent, saying that there should be no hesitation to speak Bangla with proper Bengali pronunciation.
Bangabandhu instructed to call strike on February 21, 1952: PM
Recalling the contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the Language Movement, she said his name from the movement was completely erased from history after 1975. But his contribution is evident in the book ‘Secret Documents of Intelligence Branch on Bangabandhu.”
She said Bangabandhu ordered the student leaders to call the strike on February 21, 1952 as well. He made this order when the student leaders met him in the hospital while he was in jail at that time, said Hasina.
At the outset of the programme, a one-minute silence was observed to show respect to the language movement heroes for their sacrifice, as well as the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War and the 1975 August 15 carnage, including Babandhu.
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader delivered the introductory speech in the discussion, while AL presidium members Matia Chowdhury and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, AL publicity and publication affairs sub-committee co-chairman Prof Dr Sadeka Halim, AL Information and Research Affairs Secretary Dr Salim Mahmud, publicity and publication secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap and noted actor Ferdous Ahmed, among others, spoke on the occasion.