The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, said all political parties, which came to power after the assassination of 'Bangabandhu', have looted the public money, excepting Bangladesh Awami League.
Sheikh Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, made the call while presiding over a discussion organised by the party at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka marking the 62nd founding anniversary of AL on Thursday.
She said the political parties which came to power through illegal ways cannot give anything positive to the people, rather they get engaged in plundering public money. 'Their politics are to loot money and property of the people and smuggle those abroad,' she added.
Sheikh Hasina also called upon the countrymen to protect democracy earned through a long-drawn struggle carried out by Bangladesh Awami League.
She said the people get something when Awami League is in power. She mentioned that AL had liberated the country through a nine-month bloody campaign with an aim to achieve social and economic freedom of the people.
The prime minister reiterated her government's vision to build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh free from hunger and poverty by 2021 when the country will celebrate its golden jubilee of independence.
Awami Presidium member and deputy leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, lawmakers and Awami Advisory Council members Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak and Adv Suranjit Sengupta, AL Presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, AL General Secretary and LGRD and cooperatives minister Syed Ashraful Islam, City AL acting president Abdul Aziz and general secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, among others, took part in the discussion.
Besides, Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon, JSD president Hasanul Haque Inu and Jatiya Party Presidium member Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu spoke on the occasion.
Earlier, Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the programme by hoisting the national flag when party general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam hoisted the party flag. Later, Sheikh Hasina released colourful balloons and pigeons, the symbol of peace, on the occasion.
At the very outset of her speech, the AL league president paid rich tribute to founding leaders of Awami League Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy, Shamsul Haque and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Referring to the long struggle of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she said he (Bangabandhu) was brutally assassinated when he announced his government's economic plan after completing rehabilitation programmes in the war-ravaged country.
'The politics of killing, coup and conspiracy started in the country after the his assassination. Grabbing state power through illegal way and mockery in the name of election became regular phenomena in the country during the period,' she added.
In this context, Sheikh Hasina said, a total of 19 military coups took place in the country only during the rule of Ziaur Rahman in which Bangladesh Army became sufferer.
She categorically said the money sent abroad during the time of BNP-Jamaat alliance government would be brought back in the country and would be spent for the welfare of the people.
On power situation, she said the present government had added 1922 MW electricity to the national grid during the last two years. But, the BNP-Jamaat government could not produce a single MW of electricity during its tenure that aggravated the situation.
Sheikh Hasina hoped that her government would be able to develop the country by solving the power and gas crisis.
Giving a salient feature of life and struggle of Bangabandhu, she said her father (Bangabandhu) sacrificed his life for the country as he did not think of his personal gain. 'As a daughter of the great leader, the objective of my politics is to do something for the downtrodden masses of the country,' she added.
Leaders of Bangladesh Awami League and its associated bodies, members of cabinet, parliament members and leaders of different political parties were present on the occasion.
Source : New Age
