Bangladesh
Lobbying There is no opportunity to take power by lobbying foreigners: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Dhaka, February 22: Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has urged the countrymen to boycott the illegally formed parties of military dictators and be vigilant against them.
She said, "It is impossible to seize power by lobbying foreigners. It seems that someone from outside will swing BNP to power. They (BNP) are dreaming of such a dream. At one time, they could have made it happen by acting as brokers (of foreigners). But in Bangladesh. There is no chance left to come to power through agents."
She said these things in the president's speech at the discussion meeting organized by Awami League on the occasion of Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the capital.
The Prime Minister said that the people of the country have now become more aware and know better about the country, its history and the goals of the Awami League government.
She said the BNP leaders are going to their masters at home and abroad and complaining against the Awami League government, even though they have done nothing to them compared to their misdeeds with the Awami League when they were in the opposition.
Referring to BNP's movement across the country without any interference from the government, the Prime Minister said, BNP never allowed Awami League to come to the streets while it was in power and subjected its leaders and activists to inhuman torture.
General Secretary of Awami League and Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader delivered the welcome speech on the occasion.
Awami League Presidium Member, Jatiya Sangsad Deputy Leader Begum Matia Chowdhury, Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram, Former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Dr. AMS Arefin Siddique, Advisory Council Member Professor Dr. Sadeka Halim, Actor Ferdous Ahmed, Awami League Information and Research Editor Dr. Salim Mahmud, executive committee members Nirmal Kumar Chatterjee and poet Tariq Sujat, Dhaka Metropolitan North and South Awami League president Sheikh Bazlur Rahman and general secretary Humayun Kabir addressed the meeting.
Awami League Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr. Abdus Sobhan Golap MP and Vice President Syed Abdul Awal Shamim moderated the discussion.
At the beginning of the meeting, a minute's silence was observed to pay respect to the martyrs of all democratic and progressive movements including language movement, liberation war, August 15, 1975.
The day is being celebrated globally as UNESCO has recognized 17th November 2019 as International Mother Language Day. Bangladesh embassies abroad also observed the day with due dignity.
Sheikh Hasina said, BNP won only 30 seats in the 2008 general elections, Awami League came to power twice in a row and the country has achieved great progress in the last 14 years and has now become a developing country.
"There is no one who can deny that we have worked for the people," she said.
She said, "Bangladesh has completely changed because we have developed not only Dhaka but the whole country."
The Prime Minister said that they have provided the people with good medical care, education, food, shelter as well as other civic amenities.
Pointing out that her government has transformed Bangladesh into a developing country by implementing Vision 2021 announced in her party's election manifesto in 2008, she said that they are now working to make Bangladesh a developed and prosperous country by implementing Vision 2041.
So in order to become a developed country, voting rights of the people must be ensured. And Awami League is the party that confirmed their rights.
Terming BNP as an illegal party, he said the party was formed by a military dictator (Ziaur Rahman) who illegally seized state power and the Supreme Court also declared the government and its activities illegal.
She said, "I call upon the countrymen to boycott the BNP as an illegal party, because they never want the welfare and well-being of the people. They have done everything including destroying the spirit of freedom, distorting the history of the liberation war."
Sheikh Hasina said, once the world considered Bangladesh as a country of beggars, but the Awami League government has removed the shameful condition of the country and made Bangladesh a seat of dignity.
She said, "At present, no one considers Bangladesh as a country of beggars, everyone considers the country as a role model for development. We have to move forward by continuing the trend of development."
The Awami League president called upon the party leaders and workers to go to every doorstep of the country to highlight the overall development of the country or regional development.
"If we can do that (inform people about the development) then there will be no problem with votes and no one can take away state power," she said.
Calling the BNP-Jamaat cycle a monster, she said his party cannot leave the people in the hands of monsters to play chicken with the fate of the countrymen.
"Inshallah we will develop Bangladesh. The blood of martyrs has never been wasted and will never be wasted," she said.
Sheikh Hasina strongly criticized the trend of speaking Bengali with English accent and urged everyone to feel free to speak Bengali with their own accent, as Bengalis are the only nation in the world who have shed their blood for their mother tongue.
The Prime Minister urged the children to learn their mother tongue properly along with other languages and said that the whole world has now become a global village.
She said, "There is no problem in learning another language. But the mother tongue should be given importance."
Recalling the contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the language movement, the Prime Minister said, Bangabandhu led the language movement by violating Article 144 in February 1952, starting with the formation of Rashtra Bhasha Sangram Parishad along with Chhatra League, Tamuddin Majlis and others.
Sheikh Hasina said that when Bangabandhu met her in the prison cell of the hospital on February 21, 1952, Bangabandhu still ordered the student leaders to call a strike.
But after 1975, Bangabandhu's name has been completely erased from the history of language movement and liberation war, she said, in the book 'Secret Documents of Pakistani Intelligence Branch' on Bangabandhu, Bangabandhu's contribution has been clearly revealed.
