Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Tuesday (August 08, 2023) said that the “evil force” called BNP must be resisted to keep the values of Liberation War and democracy safe in Bangladesh. Quader made the remark after paying tribute to Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib on her 94th birth anniversary at Dhaka’s Banani graveyard this morning. Read: AL delegation to leave Dhaka for New Delhi on Sunday The road, transport and bridges minister said, “Politics of murder and conspiracy started in the country since the brutal assassinations of Bangabandhu on August 15 and four national leaders on November 3 in 1975. The grenade attack on August 21, 2004, primarily targeting Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina, was a continuation of that.” “Twenty-three lives were lost, including Ivy Rahman, in that grenade attack. BNP was behind this history of bloodbath. This party initiated the politics of murder and conspiracy in Bangladesh,” Quader added. Read: AL can achieve the impossible if it stays united: Information Minister Obaidul Quader also said Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib is one of the most remarkable women in Bangladesh’s history. “From Sheikh Mujib to Bangabandhu, from Bangabandhu to the Father of the Nation – Begum Mujib was not only Bangabandhu’s wife, she was also a dedicated partner in all the struggles,” he said. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday asked the people to remain vigilant against the anti-liberation clique which has started plotting to seize power through the backdoor ahead of the next general election. “I would like to urge everyone to keep a watchful eye so that none can snatch away the rights of the people through conspiracy. At the same time everyone should be alert so that none could create anarchy and damage the lives, livelihood and properties of the people in the name of movement,” she said. The premier was addressing the nation on Friday evening through state-owned Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar, marking the 4th anniversary of her current government formed on January 7, 2019 following the 11th national election held on December 30, 2018. Hasina said the next national election will be held at the end of this year or early next year. But the anti-liberation, power-hungry plunderers of public assets have already active in creating anarchy. “Their aim is to create a chaotic situation and seize state power through the backdoor, and impede the progress of democracy too,” she said in her 25-minute speech delivered at 7:30pm. The premier, who is also the president of the ruling Awami League, said the conspirators have employed hired intellectuals and statement-givers at home and abroad with looted money to malign Awami League. “They are trying to mislead people by spreading libels, false and fake information through social media. Don't be misled by their falsehoods,” she said. She requested the political parties and institutions that believe in democracy and the rule of law not to allow and fuel any weird idea (mooted by the cliques ahead of the next election) that would undermine the constitutional process. “We expect a free, fair and impartial election (to be held next time),” she said, adding that this is the first time a law has been enacted in Bangladesh to constitute an Election Commission. She said the current Election commission has been constituted under that law through a search committee. “The Election Commission was given financial independence. The Commission is working independently and will continue to do so in the future. The government will continue providing all assistance to the Election Commission for holding fair and peaceful elections,” she added. She said Awami League is a party of the people that believes in the peace of the people and the power of the people. “If the people make the party winner by voting for it, Awami League will continue to discharge the national responsibility of building the country. If they don’t make it the winner, then we will go to the line of the people. But wherever we are, we will serve the people,” she added. On the occasion of the 4th anniversary of her current regime, the prime minister extended her sincere greetings and congratulations to the citizens at home and abroad. She also wished them a very happy Christian New Year of 2023. Bangladesh has progressed a lot in last 14 years: PM Focusing on the progress of the country during her governments since 2009, she said the image of Bangladesh has become brighter in the world arena in the last 14 years. “Today none treats Bangladesh as a country of floods, droughts and disasters. Bangladesh is now an emerging economy and a role model for development,” she said. PM Hasina said Awami League has been in the charge of governing the country for 14 years in a row after the formation of government in 2009. Read more: Next general election to be held first week of 2024: PM Hasina announces at Cox’s Bazar rally “Our country has progressed a lot. But we have to take it forward further. Achieving a developed and prosperous Bangladesh is our goal. After building Digital Bangladesh, our next goal is to build a Smart Bangladesh,” she said. She said the use of robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, genetic engineering, biological technology and digital devices will be ensured in all fields including the industrial, trade-business, health, education and agriculture sectors in a bid to build Smart Bangladesh, having smart government, smart population and smart industrial factories. “Emphasis has been placed on research in all areas,” she added. The PM focused her government’s successes in bringing the cent percent population under electricity coverage, strengthening road and rail connectivity, increasing food production, implementation of different large projects including Padma Bridge, metro-rail, Bangabandhu Tunnel under Karnaphuli River, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Dhaka-Mawa-Jajira Expressway, Bangabandhu-1 Satellite, 16-km Dhaka Airport-Kutubkhali Elevated Expressway projects, and setting up 100 economic zones. She said the prices of daily essentials including fuel have soared also in Bangladesh as it happened at abnormal rates in the world due to the Russia-Ukraine war following the Covid-19 pandemic, sanctions and counter-sanctions imposed by the Western countries and Russia. “We are purchasing some commodities at higher prices and distributing those at lower prices to the people with limited incomes,” she said adding that 10 million families can purchase rice at Tk 30 per kg and edible oil, pulses and sugar at affordable rates through TCB's fair price cards, while five million families can buy rice at Tk 15 per kg in a month. The PM depicted the present scenario of Bangladesh in different social and economic indicators, comparing to the situation 16 years ago at fag end of BNP-Jamaat alliance rule. She said the per capita income increased to US$ 2,824 now from US$ 543 in the 2005-2006FY, while poverty rate declined to 20 percent from 41.5 percent, the average life expectancy increased to 73 years from 64.5 years and the literacy rate to 75.2 percent from 45 percent. She said the GDP increased to US$ 460.75 billion in 2021-22FY from only US$ 60 billion, the size of national budget to Tk 678,64,000 crore in the 2022-23FY from Tk 61,057 crore, the export earnings to US$ 52.08 billion in 2021-2022FY from US$ 10.52 billion, and the remittance inflow went up to US$ 22.07 billion in 2021-22FY from only US$ 4.80 billion. She said the reserve of foreign currencies increased from only US$ 3.5 billion in 2005-06FY to US$ 48 billion in 2021, but declined to US$ 34 billion now due to the global economic downturn and high inflation. Still Bangladesh has a sufficient reserve to meet the five-month export expenditures, she added. The PM said the allocation against the social safety net programmes rose to Tk 113,576 crore in the current fiscal year from only Tk 373 crore in 2005-2006FY, while the subsidy to the agriculture sector went up to Tk 40,000 crore from Tk 592 crore. She said the electricity generation capacity has increased to 25,826 megawatt now from only 3,600 megawatt at the end of BNP-Jamaat regime and the population under the electricity coverage to 100 percent from only 45 percent in the same period. “We ensured electricity facilities to cent percent people in 2022. We illuminated all the houses,” she said. Read more: AL National Council: Not easy to lead both party and government, says PM Hasina said Bangladesh is currently the 41st largest economy in the world. Today, Bangladesh has graduated to a developing country from a least developed country, she said. Noting that Bangladesh has attained a revolutionary development in the communication sector, she said her government constructed and reconstructed hundreds of highways as well as bridges over major rivers, including Padma Bridge, Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge, Teesta Bridge, Payra Bridge, 2nd Kanchpur Bridge, 2nd Meghna Bridge, 2nd Gomti Bridge in the last 14 years in order to establish an uninterrupted road and rail connectivity. PM Hasina said some 100 bridges were simultaneously opened in a single day in November last, while some 100 roads were inaugurated simultaneously in a day in December last. “This is a unique achievement in the development history of the country,” she said, adding that some 718 kilometers of highways have been upgraded to four or above lanes in the last 14 years. “Today, the people have started reaping the benefits of our visionary plans,” she said Noting that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dreamt of building an exploitation-and- deprivation-free Sonar Bangla (golden Bengal), she urged all to come forward to realize his dream by building a happy-prosperous non-communal Bangladesh. "Let's work to build a smart country and bring smiles on the faces of the common people of this country," she told the nation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday asked the nation to tear the web of local and international conspiracies to continue the progress of Bangladesh further. “On this Victory Day, being energized by the spirit of the Liberation War, let’s take a vow collectively that we will take the development journey of Bangladesh forward by breaking the web of all conspiracies,” she said. The premier made the call in an address to the nation through Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar at 7:30 pm on the eve of the Victory Day. The V-Day, marking the victory in Bangladesh's nine-month War of Liberation against Pakistani occupation forces in 1971, will be celebrated on Friday. She also called on the nation to fulfill the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by establishing a happy, prosperous non-communal Bangladesh. Hasina said when the country is moving forward overcoming various adversities, a quarter that is against independence and development is trying to create anarchy. “See their past history. A part of them not only opposed the independence of Bangladesh, they killed people, being collaborators of the Pakistani occupation forces. After independence, Bangabandhu banned their politics and brought war criminals to justice,” she said. Read more: We uphold human rights in Bangladesh: PM Hasina But BNP founder Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated them (anti-liberation elements) in politics after seizing the power illegally following the assassination of the Father of the Nation with his family on 15th August 1975. “Being rehabilitated, they again started the politics of killing and terrorism,” she added. Pointing at BNP, the PM said another group born and bred from the cantonment in the pocket of a general and there are only blood stains on the hands of this party. Its founder Ziaur Rahman was directly involved in the assassination plot of the Father of the Nation. Hasina warned that the descendants of the vultures of 1971 and the hyenas of 1975 are still active in this country. “They hurt the country with teeth and claws whenever they get a chance,” she said, adding that they can’t accept that the common people remain in a good condition and the local and foreign conspirators become active. “But, the people of Bangladesh have identified them. They (the people) can no longer be misled by conspiracies,” said the PM. Had BNP-Jamaat been in power, such development won’t be possible: Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, said the anti-liberation forces were in power for 29 years after 1975 and they plundered the resources of the country. She said the democratic trend has been continuing from 2009 to 2022 and the voting rights of people remain ensured. That is why today Bangladesh has got the status of a developing country. “Had BNP-Jamaat alliance been in power (2009-2022), Bangladesh would never have made such progress. Could not be a developing country. Now, it is up to you, the people of the country, to choose what you want - a continuation of a dignified life or a life with the hardships to be inflicted by the mischief of BNP-Jamaat alliance?” she said. The premier said the BNP top leader is convicted in orphanage money embezzlement case and another top leader is a fugitive and convicted in money laundering, 10-truck arms smuggling and the August 21 grenade attack cases. “Why would the general people go to vote for them?” she said. “Losing faith in the people of the country, BNP-Jamaat has now hired some mercenaries to malign the country to foreigners. They are using smuggled money and defaming the country,” she said. Focusing on the misrules of the BNP-Jamaat regime and the 2013-15 arson violence unleashed by them, Hasina said the people of Bangladesh rejected them in the 2008 election and the people did not vote for the BNP-Jamaat alliance in 2014 and 2018 elections as well. “Being rejected by the people, they are now engaged in conspiracies to come to power through an undemocratic way,” she said. Read more: PM thanks JaPa for playing positive role in parliamentary democracy Prices of daily essentials become normal: Describing the government of Bangladesh Awami League as a people's government, Hasina said her government’s main aim is to work for the welfare of people and they never want people to suffer. Due to economic reasons, the prices of daily necessities have increased. Now it largely started becoming normal. Inflation is also declining. “I want to assure you that we will adjust the price as soon as that of any commodity- including fuel-- drops in the world market,” she said. She said the import-dependent countries fell in troubles with the rise of transport cost and the prices of commodities in the international markets, induced by the Ukraine-Russia war, economic sanctions and counter-sanctions. “Considering the interests of the common people, we are collecting and supplying the products we need – no matter wherever these are available in the world and whatever prices are,” she said. The PM stressed the need for boosting agricultural production and renewed her call not to leave a single inch of arable land uncultivated in order to fight the ongoing crisis. Citing that it is normal that a crisis may come, she said, “Do not be afraid of the crisis. With the help of people, we have successfully tackled the coronavirus pandemic. We will also deal with the current global recession, Inshallah. I want your cooperation for this.” Reserve is sufficient for five-month import Talking about the reserves of foreign currencies, the PM said now the country has a sufficient reserve of foreign currencies to meet the five-month import expenditures. “Many people are making various fabricated comments about our foreign exchange reserves. It is enough if there is a reserve to cover only three-month import expenditure. But now we’ve a reserve that is sufficient to meet five-month import expenditure,” she said. She also explained the reasons as to why the reserve has declined from US$ 48 billion after the Covid-19 period. Don’t pay heed to rumours over bank money: Sheikh Hasina said panic is being created by spreading rumours that there is no money in the banks. “Don't pay heed to rumours unnecessarily. There is no shortage of money in banks. Don't invite your own danger by keeping your hard earned money at home. Everything of us --investment, remittance inflow and import-export situation-- remains normal,” she said. Highlighting her government’s successes, Hasina said, “The country has reached a new height of socio-economic development in our last 14 years. Bangladesh has now graduated to the list of developing countries. The country now is self-sufficient in production of food grains.” She said the poverty rate declined from 40 percent to 20 percent, and the per capita income increased from US$ 543 to US$ 2,824 and the literacy rate from 45 percent to 75 percent. She said the government has recruited some 22,000 doctors and 40,000 nurses and other health workers since 2009. The PM also focused on the development of other sectors including energy and connectivity, infrastructure, social safety net particularly food programmes for poor people, and agriculture. On the occasion of Great Victory Day 2022, the prime minister extended her sincere greetings to all the citizens of Bangladesh living at home and abroad.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader Wednesday said conspiracies are being hatched to remove the government. "To combat the conspiracies, we must plan and fortify our resistance. No force will be able to defeat the Awami League if it stays united," Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, added while speaking at the triennial conference of Kabirhat upazila unit of the ruling party online. The conference was held at Kabirhat High School in Noakhali. Read more: Quader promises to finish BNP's movement in December

Pakistan’s history of conspiracy politics seems to go on and on. Although it has paid what is possibly the biggest price for any state-sponsored conspiracy flops – the 1971 war – its appetite for political conspiracy goes on.  And in each of them, the army seems to be involved. Given the current critical phase with ex-PM Imran Khan naming the current PM, the Interior Minister, and a senior Intelligence official as the trio who planned to kill him but failed, things have worsened. Conspirators rule the roost including Imran Khan. Imran was hit by bullets but has said that he survived because he fell down and the would-be killers thought he was dead. One person died and several were injured and Imran continues his political war from his hospital bed. He has asked his followers to continue their protests and Pakistan is under severe stress and unrest. The “typing error” conspiracy state  In many ways, Pakistan is a product of conspiracy. The Lahore Resolution of 1940 which specifically spoke of “two states”, was amended by Jinnah arguing that the “two states” was a “typing error”. Jinnah’s act was more of a historical error resulting from political conspiracy. Jinnah’s  Pakistan lasted only 25 years and though Bangladesh paid for it with blood, Pakistan paid with the ignominy of losing its half and its army’s humiliating surrender to arch-enemy India. Read: Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan wounded in firing at anti-govt rally In 1954, the elected government of East Pakistan was removed through a false accusation that the leaders were planning secession. In 1958, the army directly took over fully and destroyed whatever hope there was of one state. In 1968, it tried to stop the 6-points autonomy movement by falsely involving Sk. Mujib in the Agartala conspiracy case. In 1969, the army moved in again and after the election of 1970 refused to hand over power to the elected party and instead offered the night of March 25.  And the civilian politician Z.A. Bhutto was part of it too. Post-1971 One would have thought the army had learned its lesson but the Bhutto hanging, the Gen. Zia plane blow-up, the various attempts on the lives of various leaders and the killing of Benazir Bhutto shows that a tradition of violent conspiracy has been established. Pakistan politics is about conspiracies and usually, the military is a player, directly or indirectly. Read: Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan stable after shooting at anti-govt rally Imran Khan himself is a product of the military in politics. He was replaced by Shehbaz as the ex-cricket captain no longer suited them. Now barred from holding office, he has taken to the street invoking the example of 1970 in East Pakistan which effectively ended Pakistan. The Dawn writes in its editorial, “By going public with them ( accusations ), Mr. Khan has taken a step that he may find impossible to reverse. It seems highly unlikely that Shehbaz Sharif or Rana Sanaullah will step down on Mr. Khan’s demands, and it is improbable that the military will be interested at this time in removing a top official merely on his complaint. .. the acrimony between the state and the PTI will continue to grow. “ It goes on to blame the bungled management of the case by the Punjab police and “conflicting statements from the centre and Punjab have all added to the confusion and fuelled conspiracy theories.” Read More: Imran Khan accuses Pak army of recreating 1971-like situation Meanwhile, the army has called the allegations baseless and condemned Imran Khan. But that hardly matters. It has become embroiled in a crisis that may/can only end through more conspiracy and violence.  The only option for Imran is the street, the only for the rest is to intern him, and for Pakistan more chaos. It’s the people who remain prisoners in the hands of its army and politicians that pay the price.

Conspiracies against Bangladesh are not a new phenomenon. Myriad plots and intrigues have taken place since its birth. The ulterior motive was to prevent Bangladesh from developing as a non-communal state imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War. And the character of the conspirators is clearly perceptible. The communalist forces that opposed the birth of the Bangladesh, have repeatedly tried to change its socio-cultural and political character. The organized clique of communalists with their domestic and international allies has been constantly conspiring against the country. And the level of this conspiracy increased manifold after the trial of the war criminals had started, especially after the execution of their judgments one by one. Despite investing a huge amount of money in employing international lobbyists, when they failed to save the notorious war criminals like Quader Molla, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Mujahid, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Motiur Rahman Nizami, they started weaving a web of intrigue against the judges and trial arrangers in particular and the country in general. The conspirators' links have a multi-dimensional trajectory. In their camp can be found people directly aggrieved by the execution of war crimes, the lunatic fringe involved in their communalist and violent politics, and the people and parties, who were wolves in sheep’s clothing. It was the nation’s biggest irony that, they were in power, and still are trying to grab it. The conspirators have reached such an extent that their collaboration with Israel's central intelligence agency called 'Mossad' is now common knowledge. As part of the conspiracy to overthrow the ruling Sheikh Hasina government, they met the high-ranking officials of ‘Mossad’ in Kolkata, Delhi and London. Intelligence sources have preserved the pictorial record of the meetings which first appeared on a website called Jerusalem Online.com. Several other reports published in the newspapers also mentioned the date and time of the meeting of two influential leaders of BNP and Jamaat with the influential Israeli leader and Mossad agent Mendi N Safadi. A video conference with a BNP leader of Bangladesh has been in the limelight. The video footage of the conference has reportedly come to the hands of the detectives on the basis of which an initiative to arrest the person concerned had been taken. Above all, Safadi's assurance of total funding to the government has also been public knowledge. The news of the inclusion of Safadi in the conspiracy is certainly not a light matter to be dismissed. The arrest of 27 expatriate Bangladeshi nationals by Singaporean law enforcement agencies in 2016 for their alleged involvement in militancy-related activities can also be considered as an expression of the conspiracy against Bangladesh. Out of those 27 people arrested in Singapore on charges of terrorism, 26 were forcibly deported back to Bangladesh. The main goal of the radicalized Bangladeshis receiving training in Singapore was to be involved in the armed Jihad ideology of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but in reality, when it became a bit too complicated, these brainwashed people planned to carry out Jihad activities in their own country. And they are engaged in the conspiracy to topple the pro-liberation government with Sheikh Hasina at the helm. Read: Aspirations for non-communal Bangladesh not materialized yet: Fakhrul The main objective of the conspirators is to prove Bangladesh as a failed state. If the conspiracy is successful, the western world including the liberal democratic countries and the donors will turn their backs on Bangladesh. India also will turn its back. America will look for a way to establish military dominance in the name of curbing militancy. And Sheikh Hasina's government, being unable to bear so much pressure, may step down. Then, once again, the unexpected course of events will happen. The trial of war criminals will come to a grinding halt. The defeated forces of 1971 and their allies will seize power once again. This is the possible scenario if the conspiracy comes true. The incidents of the killings of the noted bloggers and writers Abhijit Roy, Ananta Vijay Das, Niladri Chattopadhyay and publisher Deepan, Italian citizen Cesar Tabela, Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi, Shia mosque muezzin in Bogra, the killing in the Tajia procession at Hosseini Dalan, and the killing of the Rajshahi University progressive intellectual – Professor Rezaul Karim Siddiqui – and two gay activists are harrowing examples of plots hatched by the rabid wright-wing fanatics to assert their existence in the country. There is no particular reason to think of this serial killing spree as isolated incidents, even if there are differences in time and place. The killing of progressive people also points to the unbridled dominance of the reactionaries. Islamabad's unsolicited advocacy for the impunity of convicted war criminals can also be regarded as a conspiracy against the sovereignty of Bangladesh. By interfering in the internal affairs of Bangladesh, Pakistan proved that the country, once enemy of Bangladesh, is still an enemy even in the fast-changing world order. Conspiracies are still being hatched up to discredit Sheikh Hasina Government. The World Bank’s cancellation of Padma Bridge loan, US sanctions on the elite anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and the publication of US State Department’s report on alleged human rights violations in Bangladesh without any prior discussion with the government smack of a conspiracy theory. Indian analysts are also of the opinion that the sequence of events leading to violence during Durga Puja celebrations is part of a larger conspiracy to destabilize Sheikh Hasina government. Besides, the creation of so-called 1/11, Professor Yunus’ all-out effort to form a political party, quite unbecoming to a Nobel Laureate, the British Jewish journalist David Bergman’s nose poking into Bangladesh’s internal affairs, the organized smear campaign by hired hands are acts of criminal conspiracy. Read: Safe Digital Space: AUW, UNDP to promote intercommunal, religious harmony If not properly countered, these conspiracies can pose serious threats to the very existence of our secular Bangladesh. The government should identify the crux of the problem and realize the urgency of the matter. There is no question about Sheikh Hasina’s success in the politics of development. Now it's time to see how successful she becomes in suppressing the conspiracy against the country. Dr. Rashid Askari: Bilingual writer, academic, translator and former vice chancellor, Islamic University, Kushtia, Bangladesh. Email: [email protected]

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam on Saturday urged the people of all religious faiths to remain united to stop any conspiracy against the country."If people of all religions including Muslims and Hindus remain united, no one will be able to halt the development spree of the country, no matter how many conspiracies the anti-liberation forces make against the country," he said. Read: Police were always in favour of AL no who stayed in power: Land MinisterThe minister made these remarks while addressing a discussion and cultural function marking the central Janmashtami celebration-2022 arranged by Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee at Dhakeshwari National Temple Saturday afternoon.Once people of some religions including Hindus used to live in insecurity in Bangladesh. But after coming to power, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ensured the safety of people of all religions, including Hindus, Christians and Buddhists. "Now people can practice their respective religion freely".The government is determined to ensure the rights of the people of all religions, added the minister."A vested quarter is trying to make Bangladesh into Sri Lanka. He called upon the people of the country to remain alert against these conspirators."

Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader has said comparing Bangladesh's economy with Sri Lanka is part of a conspiracy and intentional propaganda. “Those who say that Bangladesh will be Sri Lanka are either knowingly or intentionally spreading propaganda. Our capital account is not open, so no one can send dollars abroad if they want to like Sri Lanka. If you want to send money abroad for any education or medical work, you have to open an account and send it,” he said. Read: No need to appease any one to stay in power: Quader He made the remarks while delivering his speech as the chief guest at an introductory meeting with the new unit-level leaders of the Dhaka North Awami League. The programme was organised at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the morning. “Many people talk about megaprojects. Padma Bridge is not dependent on foreign loans. Sheikh Hasina is building Padma Bridge with our money, there is no foreign debt. There is no such mega project with any foreign loan. Bangabandhu's daughter has proved to the whole world what Bangladesh can do,” he said. He further said that our Padma Bridge is being implemented with own funds. Most of Sri Lanka's loans have to be repaid in a short period of time on difficult terms at higher interest rates while most of our debts have to be repaid in the long run. “After the propaganda against Padma Bridge, Karnaphuli Tunnel, and Metrorail project, now they are spreading that Bangladesh will be Sri Lanka. After overcoming the corona crisis, the economy of Bangladesh is at a balanced level at the grassroots. There was no crisis in Bangladesh as in Sri Lanka,” he emphasized. He told the propagandists that there is no benefit in spreading propaganda as Bangladesh will never be Sri Lanka. Quader said the work on Bangabandhu Tunnel, Padma Bridge, Metro Rail, and Karnaphuli River is almost completed. There has been a lot of propaganda about these but the progress could not be stopped by propaganda. Saying that commodity prices had risen before Ramadan but now it has come to a tolerable level, he said Bangladesh has never been in default since independence. Sri Lanka's debt ratio is 61 percent while Bangladesh's debt ratio is 14 percent. Read: GM Quader urges govt to avoid Sri Lanka-like trouble “Overcoming the Corona crisis, our export earnings are set to surpass the record this year as our currency is still stable against the dollar. Sri Lanka's foreign currency reserves are only 2 billion while our reserves are 45 billion. By lending money to Sri Lanka, Sheikh Hasina has shown the potential of Bangladesh,” he added. Leaders from 26 thanas, 64 wards and one union Awami League joined a total of 1600 Presidents and General Secretaries at the historical meeting, the organiser informed. Organisers also said that the units were finalised through the council in every area of the North Awami League territory to strengthen the root level for the very first time.   General Secretary of Dhaka North Awami League unit SM Mannan Kochi conducted the programme while its President Bazlur Rahman presided over the meeting.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Saturday urged the patriotic citizens abroad to put in their stronger efforts to counter conspiracies against the country’s interest, noting that there might be more “assaults” on the country and its interests based on propaganda and disinformation. “It seems to me there might be various types of assaults and conspiracies against us in the next two years,” he said urging the activists of Bangabandhu Foundation abroad to take a stronger position against such attempts centering the next national elections. The Foreign Minister, also the President of the Bangabandhu Foundation, said each Bangladesh Mission abroad that runs with the country’s taxpayers’ money is the number one lobbyist of the country to uphold Bangladesh’s interests. Also read:Sheikh Selim slams US for sanctions on RAB He hoped that the people associated with the Bangabandhu Foundation abroad will help the missions abroad with the information regarding any attempt of conspiracies against the country as in some cases missions may not get access to such information instantly. Dr Momen was addressing a virtual discussion titled “Lobbying conspiracy that started centering the 12th parliamentary election and steps that Bangabandhu Foundation can take” as the chief guest. Pointing finger at conspirators, the Foreign Minister said the country’s interest and people’s welfare should be the priority if anyone wants to get involved in politics. Referring to the letter written by Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Ivan Stefanec to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Dr Momen said, “When I was reading the letter, I felt that I was reading about another country as the letter’s content doesn’t go with the situation of the country.” He said there is a possibility that the opposition parties might engage more such people to write against Bangladesh. Also read: No impact on European business interest in Bangladesh, says EU envoy about sanctions The Foreign Minister said the Awami League has continued its efforts to make the election process transparent which needs to be highlighted. “We’re lucky that we’ve got a transparent, very committed, firm and very strong leadership, and we hope under her leadership we’ll build Bangabandhu’s Sonar Bangla,” he said. Central AL leader and Bangabandhu Foundation General Secretary Md. Nazrul Islam Thandu, Foundation’s Executive President Adv Moshiur Malek, Rashida Hoque Konica and Engineer M Shakil Khan also spoke at the event.

Education Minister Dipu Moni has said it is a matter for the investigation whether any foreign forces are involved with the temple attacks in Bangladesh. “But it’s clear that some malignant force is weaving conspiracies from outside the country. Many of their comments are being found from many places,” she added. The minister said this while talking to journalists on Tuesday during her visit to vandalized temples of Hajiganj upazila in Chandpur. Read: New curricula in schools, colleges from 2023: Dipu Moni “It is clear that all the temple attacks across the country are preplanned,” said Dipu Moni. Perpetrators of these attacks have been marked and government will take actions against each one of them, she said. Read: Schools cannot charge fees for assignments: Dipu Moni Dipu Moni visited temple of SriSri Lakshmi Narayan Jiu and Ramakrishna Missionin Hajiganj municipal area and talked with Hindu community leaders during her visit.