“No matter how much domestic and foreign pressure comes, the Bangalees will never bow down to that pressure,” she said, addressing, as the chair, a discussion on the occasion of historic Six-Point Day.
Bangladesh Awami League (AL) organized the meeting in city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).
Sheikh Hasina said, “We must always remember that this country is ours. We will not let anyone play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people of this country.”
“We will protect the rights of the people of our country,” she said, adding “We (AL) have brought democracy in this country through struggle. Bangladesh has progressed today because of democratic continuation.”
Mentioning that the Six-Point was the “Magna Carta” of the people of Bangladesh, the premier said progress march of the country has been possible with this and Bangladesh became a role model of development. “We will move forward as a role model.”
She laid emphasis on the continuation of democratic trend along with ensuring voting rights of the country’s people and said that none could suppress the people of Bangladesh further.
“In the last 14 and a half years, Bangladesh has witnessed huge changes and development, and we will build Smart Bangladesh by 2041,” she added.
The AL chief directed the leaders and activists of her party to be aware about this and highlight the present development activities and future plan of the government going to people of the country so that none could play with the luck of them.
The Prime Minister said no external force will put BNP in power bringing them with a merry-go-round, rather they will be used.
“They think someone, coming from somewhere else, will put them in power by bringing them with a merry-go-round. None will do (bring them to power) and ever does it, rather will use. It will use (them), but won’t give them power,” she said in reference to BNP’s excitement following the announcement of the new US visa policy.
She said it is the Awami League that protected democracy and voting rights and ensured the continuation of democracy in the country.
Sheikh Hasina said, “Today, movement and struggle will be waged (by BNP) . . . It is better from the one perspective that if they resort to arson violence and kill the people, they will not get US visa.”
She said those will destroy them (BNP), whose words make them (BNP) dance. “We’ve nothing to do. We’ve nothing to think of it,” she added.
The head of government said that she has already told (the authorities concerned) to let the BNP wage movement. “Let them do how much movement they can do. We’ll not say anything,” she said.
She, however, asked the authorities concerned to keep their eyes open and camera on always so that they can’t repeat the arson violence, burning and killing people as they did in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
She said they (BNP) may instigate and send the photographs outside the country. They don’t believe in the power of the people, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said they protected the voting rights of the people of the country. “It is we who brought democracy, waging movements and struggles in this country. Since there is the continuation of democracy, Bangladesh today witnessed progress and socio-economic uplift,” she said.
AL advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu, its presidium members Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Deputy Leader in Parliament Matia Chowdhury, Shahjahan Khan and Simeen Hussain Rimi, AL Dhaka south city unit general secretary Humayun Kabir and Dhaka north city unit general secretary SM Mannan Kochi also spoke.
AL publicity and publication secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap and his deputy Syed Abdul Awal Shameem moderated the discussion.
On June 7 in 1966, Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman launched a massive movement against the misrule of the Pakistanis on the basis of the six-point demand, the Magna Carta of the Bengalis, demanding autonomy for the then East Pakistan.
The Prime Minister said that she is the only one in the history of Bangladesh who handed over the power peacefully, which was in 2001.
Referring to the 15th February, 1996 voter-less general election and the move to hold a lopsided election in 2006, she said the people of the country will have to keep remembering that Khaleda Zia was forced to step down on both occasions on charge of vote-rigging.
She said AL never became defeated when the people got scope to vote. AL came to power every time getting the votes of the people and never grabbed the power, she added.
Noting that now BNP termed the government as one who came to power through voter-less election, Sheikh Hasina said, “Today they say voter-less. Who is voter-less? It is Khaleda Zia, Ziaur Rahman and Ershad, who were voter-less. They grabbed the power as voter-less,” she said.
The Prime Minister said the leaders of the party, which was formed from the pocket of a person who grabbed power through killing, coups and conspiracy, are now talking about democracy, election and vote rigging.
“You people are vote robbers, you don’t know democracy, you know curfew democracy,” she said, adding, “It’s a bad luck for Bangalees as they have to hear about democracy from these people.”
Sheikh Hasina noted that the unfortunate thing for Bangalees is that effort is there to impose blame on the people who brought democracy into the country.
“It’s nothing, actually they don’t like today’s development of people as countrymen have clothes, foods, getting medical treatment, education and others,” she added.
The Premier reiterated her call to boost food production by bringing all uncultivated land under cultivation, saying that “We will produce food . . We will eat our food and ensure our nutrition.
In this regard, she asked all AL leaders and activists to inspire people to cultivate food.
“We have no shortage of food, and InshAllah there will be no shortage of food in the country,” she said, adding, “We will further boost our food production and export it.”
In the case of export, Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh will no longer remain dependent on RMG rather it will manufacture digital devices as the government materialized digital Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, huge investment has come to the country in this sector, she added.
She said that the government will develop skilled manpower in this sector, who will work at home and abroad. “Our most exportable products will be ICT devices.” (BSS)
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