The Awami League president and prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has said her party will not obstruct any peaceful political programmes of the opposition and urged them (opposition) to shun destructive politics in the interests of the country's development.
'We are not against any peaceful political programmes
of the opposition . . . but we would not allow anybody to do destructive politics which causes sufferings to the people,' she said.
Hasina said this in an unscheduled meeting with party leaders and workers at her Dhanmondi office in the city on Saturday.
Her comments came as the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party is going to start its 'road march' towards Sylhet on Monday.
During her two-hour stay in Dhanmondi office, she exchanged views with party leaders on organisational programmes and called for strengthening the party at the grassroots level.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Awami League joint secretary, Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, said the prime minister had called upon party workers to make people aware of the development programmes and success of the present government in various areas as well as highlighting the past records of corruption and misrule when the present opposition party was in power.
The prime minister said people would not forget the corruption records of the BNP. It's the shame for the nation that the corruption of Khaleda Zia's family has been proved in the investigation of the courts in Singapore and the United States, she said.
'Corruption charges against Begum Zia for misappropriation of the money of Zia Orphanage Trust and taking bribe from Niko by a former state minister have also been proved,' Hasina said.
Later, they have legalised their ill-gotten money by paying tax, she added.
Referring to the law and order situation during the BNP regime, the prime minister said they made Bangladesh a land of militants and terrorists.
Their unleashing of a reign of terror not only caused sufferings to the common people, it also killed popular Awami League leaders Shah AMS Kibria, Ahsanullah Master, MP, and Monjurul Imam, she said, adding that the grenade attack on an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004 was the most barbaric incident.
The prime minister said rise in the incidents of extortion, mugging and other sorts of crimes reached such a dangerous proportion during the BNP regime that it prompted the then World Bank country director to ask for shelter from finance minister Saifur Rahman.
'The World Bank country director, Christina Wallick, at that time threatened to shift her office from Bangladesh,' the prime minister recalled saying 'now they are hatching conspiracy to save the war criminals and plunderers of public money'.
During the meeting, Hanif said, the prime minister also sought suggestions from the party leaders on various issues to run the country more efficiently to reduce sufferings of the people.
The Awami League president also gave her approval to five district committees. These are Sylhet district and city committees, Chapainawabganj district committee and Rajshahi district and city committees, Hanif said.
