Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the Bangladesh Nationalist Party not to foil the upcoming general election, asserting that any attempt in this regard would not be successful as the people were with the Awami League.
The prime minister also strongly condemned the attack on police members and torching their vehicles by the BNP activists in the capital on Wednesday and urged the country people to resist such terrorist acts.
‘As the BNP has decided to take part in the election, I will like to tell them that they should make efforts so that election is held. At least, the party shouldn’t try to foil the polls,’ Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, said in her introductory speech at a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board at her Dhanmondi office in the capital in the afternoon.
The AL president said the BNP had hatched such conspiracies to foil the 2014 elections but they did not succeed. ‘They will not be successful in future too as the people are with us,’ she said.
The prime minister called upon the people to protect their voting, democratic and constitutional rights by putting up resistance against the terrorism of the BNP.
‘I urge the people to put up resistance against any kind of terrorism and arson attack of the BNP nexus and the people will have to protect their voting, democratic and constitutional rights,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina said her party had stood by the people to protect their rights. ‘We always stand by the people to protect their rights,’ she said.
The prime minister said the democratic trend must be upheld and the country would develop through it. ‘We will make further uplift of the country Insha Allah,’ she said.
Referring to Wednesday’s terrorist acts in front of the BNP office in the capital, the AL president said a festive mood had been created ahead of the election. ‘But the BNP felt bad in such an environment and poured water on that festivity. We saw it yesterday,’ she said.
The prime minister said a BNP leader all of a sudden appeared in front of their office with a procession which he was not supposed to do. ‘Then they attacked the on-duty police members and torched three police vehicles,’ she said.
‘The BNP has again started fire terrorism which they unleashed in 2014 and 2015 and the party cannot do any work without arson attacks. It’s their proof,’ she said.
It’s very regrettable that when the people of the country are ready to participate in the elections in a festive mood, then the BNP has appeared again in their ‘swarupe’, (self form).
Accusing the BNP of attempting to shift responsibility on the Chhatra League for on Wednesday’s incident, the premier said the party was very much expert to shift responsibility of their misdeeds to others.
‘When different TV channels footage showed the BNP terrorists’ involvement in the incident, then the BNP leaders made comments hurriedly that the Chaatra League hooligans carried out the attack and torched the police vehicles,’ she said.
In this connection, Sheikh Hasina posed a question that when the Chhatra League and Juba League activists went in front of the BNP office and why they will go?
The prime minister thanked the police for showing tolerance despite burning of their three vehicles by the BNP terrorists.
‘Destroying the life and property of the people is very regrettable, when they are in a festive mood ahead of the elections and we strongly condemn such terrorist acts,’ she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the people want the elections to be held in a festive mood and they will form the government as per their choice.
Pointing out Bangladesh’s massive development over the last 10 years, she said, ‘We’re hopeful that the pace of uplift that has been created will continue and the country will advance further.’
The premier said the BNP wants to foil the country’s advancement through unleashing terrorist acts. ‘The BNP feels sorrow when the common people stay well, otherwise their netri (leader) cannot embezzle the orphan’s money and she is now in jail for committing such a crime,’ she said.
Without mentioning the name, Sheikh Hasina said other leader of the party is now a convict in the August 21 grenade attack and accused in the 10-truck arms haul case and the money laundering case.
‘The BNP has denied Section 7 of its constitution by forming the party with a convicted and accused meaning that any killer, robber and corrupt can be their leader and they’ve proved it,’ she said.
The premier said those who talk tall have joined hands with corrupts. ‘That’s also good (in one sense) … I want elections to be held and I want that environment so that the people could exercise their franchise freely,’ she said.
Mentioning that over 4000 Awami League leaders have bought party nomination forms to contest the elections, the AL president said it is a very difficult task to select 300 candidates from the huge number of aspirants. ‘We are hopeful that we could do it Insha Allah,’ she said.
The prime minister also expressed her firm belief that the people will cast vote for boat to continue the pace of improvement of their living standard.
‘We’ve a firm belief that the people will cast vote for boat to continue the pace of development of their living standard and we will build a hunger and poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Insha Allah,’ she said.
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