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. Read: PM Hasina for forging strong worker-owner relations to boost productivity 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.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday wondered why the August-15 carnage was carried out in cold blood and what the crimes of her father Bangabandhu, mother Bangamata and brothers were! “One question always crosses my mind -- what actually had driven the killers to stage these killings, what were the crimes of my father, mother and brothers?” she questioned while addressing a programme arranged marking the 91th birth anniversary of Bangamata Begum Fazilatun Nesa Mujib. Read:Bangabandhu: Bangladesh’s liberator as proclaimer of independence The theme of the day this year is ‘Bangamata: a fearless companion in the crisis and struggle’. The prime minister joined the virtual programme from her official residence Ganobhaban, while other participants got connected from the Osmani Memorial Auditorium and Deputy Commissioner’s Office of Gopalganj. She said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangamata Begum Fazilatun Nesa Mujib and her brothers sacrificed their lives for peace and happiness and the independence and economic freedom of the nation. “But that Bangalees killed him, murdered him --why?” she said in an emotion-choked voice. Hasina, the elder daughter of Bangabandhu and Bangamata, recalled that Bangamata contributed a lot towards advancing the struggle of independence with patience, courage and right and timely decisions and implementing those. “My mother contributed a lot to every movement.” She also said Bangamata encouraged Bangabandhu throughout her life enabling him to devote himself to work for the country and the nation. Mentioning that Bangamata always believed that every woman should receive education and attain financial solvency, the prime minister said, “She thought that only shouting for rights wouldn’t bring anything for the womenfolk. For attaining the rights, all women should take education and get economic emancipation to stand on their own feet…she had felt that very well.” Hasina said Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib ignored her personal desires and demands in many ways to create a scope for Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to devotedly work for the country. Bangamata had no personal demand and never annoyed Bangabandhu with family matters.” Read: Five women receive 'Bangamata Begum Fazilatun Nesa Mujib Award' Recalling the role of Bangamata in the country’s independence, she said Bangamata had taken the right decisions in various critical times in politics. “When a matter of taking a tough decision came up in politics on various occasions, it’s very sad to say many of our senior and experienced leaders had failed to take the right decisions or about to take wrong decisions. My mother had taken the right decisions at the right time. Alongside dealing with family affairs, Bangamata used to take care of the families of the detained and ailing leaders, and arranged their treatment,” she said.