Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the people to vote for the boat symbol of the party in the next parliamentary election in order for the trend of development in the country to continue.
She also said she was prepared to sacrifice her life for the country if needed, like her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The premier was addressing a massive rally at the Rangpur Zila School ground on Wednesday. The rally was organised by the Rangpur district and city units of the Awami League.
Sheikh Hasina said her government is committed to implementing the highly anticipated Teesta mega plan, with Teesta River water sharing being a longstanding issue between Bangladesh and India.
The prime minister inaugurated 27 newly constructed development schemes and laid the foundation stone of five others, including the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre, at a cost of over TK2,000 crore.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also assured that arrangements will be made to reopen the closed sugar mills in Rangpur.
She said medical universities will be created in all the divisions of the country and, in continuation of that, Rangpur Medical College will be converted into a university.
Sheikh Hasina, who has been governing the country for a third term in a row, said: “Bangladesh has been transformed in the last 14 and a half years. This changed Bangladesh will become freer. Only when the Boat comes to power, the country improves. The farmer's fortunes have changed. Electricity has been provided across houses. Cast your vote for Boat to give the Awami League the opportunity to serve you again.”
“The people of Bangladesh are my family. I got the love of a father, brother and sister from you. For the people of Bangladesh, I am ready to sacrifice my life, like my father, to change the fate of my countrymen,” she continued.
Sheikh Hasina said: “The Awami League works for the welfare of people. Many were in power, but none worked to change the fate of Rangpur. Only when the Boat comes to power does development happen. When the Boat is not in power, there is no development.”
The prime minister said the northern region of Bangladesh will never face famine, or Monga, as it once did.
“This region will never face famine or Monga; we are developing the region considering this matter,” said the premier.
Showcasing several development projects and initiatives which have been taken in this area, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said: “We will set up a special economic zone in remote areas of Rangpur division so that the people of remote areas can benefit from it.
“We will restart the famous Chilmari river port of Kurigram; development is ongoing in Chilmari,” she added.
The premier said the government is working to develop every area of Bangladesh.
“When the Awami League was in power in 1996, there was no Manga in the Rangpur area. In 2001, when the BNP came to power again, Monga began. Under the Awami League, Monga has been banished from this area,” she said.
Pledging to make Bangladesh a landless and homeless-free country, Sheikh Hasina said: “No one will be landless in Bangladesh. This is our goal and 211 upazilas of eight districts of Rangpur division are landless- and homeless-free now,”
Referring to the opposition BNP, the premier said: "They torched buses and burnt people to death. What type of humans are they? They are not human.”
Referring to cases filed against BNP leaders, Sheikh Hasina said: "They face corruption cases. We did not file these cases. Their beloved Yes Uddin-Fakhruddin did those. Now they are being punished in those cases. They destroy the country and we create it.”
Pledge to implement Teesta mega plan
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that her government is committed to implementing the Teesta mega plan, which has long been demanded by the leaders of Rangpur division.
The ruling party chief declared her intent to move forward with the project.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, a lawmaker of Rangpur, praised the premier at the rally.
“We have nothing more to desire, as the prime minister has already given us a lot,” he said
He expressed his desire for the immediate implementation of the Teesta mega project.
Teesta River water sharing has been a significant and unresolved issue in the region.
The Bangladesh government is working to settle the issue of the sharing of the waters of the Teesta with neighbouring India, but progress has been slow.
The government has considered long-term water management in the Teesta River area with financing from China, but this has not yet received final approval.
In his address, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Qader highlighted Sheikh Hasina's success in settling the Ganges river water treaty and expressed confidence that she will also complete the Teesta project.
“Sheikh Hasina has settled the Ganges river water treaty, and she will complete the Teesta project as well,” he said.
Not the people of northern region, rather BNP turned ‘Mofiz’ now
Ruling party leaders and lawmakers of the northern region of Bangladesh said the people of north Bengal are no longer “Mofiz”, rather the opposition BNP are now the Mofiz.
Mofiz is a term used to denigrate people of the northern region as lacking in talent or competence. The cruel stereotype was perpetuated during the famine years, when malnutrition affected the ability of the people of the region to work.
Former Awami League cultural secretary Asaduzzaman Noor said: “We are no longer Mofiz. Now we are not travelling by climbing on the roofs of buses. We are travelling by air now. But during the BNP period, we suffered. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent Monga to the museum.”
Recalling an incident, he stated: “Ehsanul Haque Milan was the responsible minister in Nilphamari district during the BNP period. In a speech at the time, he called the people of the northern region ‘Mofiz’. He insulted us saying we travel to Dhaka by sitting on the roofs of buses.
“A few days ago, I said to Milan, have you gone to the Rangpur region recently? He said, ‘I haven’t gone there for many days.’ I said to him, ‘You called us Mofiz. Come back now. There is no Monga in our area anymore. Now we don't go to Dhaka on the roofs of buses. A total of 18 flights are there from Dhaka to Syedpur every day. People from our area buy tickets and sit inside planes and travel to Dhaka. That has been possible because Bangabandhu's daughter, Sheikh Hasina, is the prime minister now. She removed Monga from this area.”
State Minister for Shipping and former Organising Secretary of Awami League Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said: “BNP leaders used to call Rangpur residents Mofiz. Today Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina's development has changed this area. Now the people of Rangpur have made Mofiz of the BNP.”
Awami League central leaders H N Ashiqur Rahman, Abdus Sobhan Golap, Abu Sayeed Al Mahmood Sopon, S M Kamal Hossain, Sujit Roy Nandi, Biplab Barua, Aminul Islam Amin, Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia; Iqbalur Rahim, Mostafizur Rahman Fizar, Mahbub Ara Gini, Jakir Hossain; associate bodies leaders Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, Afzalur Rahman Babu and Saddam Hossain, among others, delivered speeches in the rally.
Ruling party senior leaders Sheikh Helal Uddin Ahmed, Ramesh Chandra Sen, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Salman F Rahman, and AFM Bahauddin Nasim were present on the boat-shaped stage.
Massive turnout at Rangpur Rally
The Awami League’s Rangpur rally witnessed a massive turnout, which extended to more than 10 kilometres from the rally ground.
Despite the prime minister's appearance at 3:25pm Wednesday, a remarkable rush of participants from different districts of Rangpur division to the city was seen from the morning.
The rally started at around half past noon, with ruling party leaders and activists holding colourful banners and engaging in processions.
On her arrival at Rangpur cantonment by helicopter at 1:13 pm, the premier was escorted to the Circuit House, where she was scheduled to hold a meeting with Rangpur divisional government officials.
A large boat-shaped stage was built by the workers of Dhaka and Rajshahi to accommodate 300 leaders and activists.
A festive mood had prevailed among the Awami League and its front and associate bodies’ leaders and activists, and common people for a couple of days centering on the premier's tour of the district around five years after she last visited Pirganj and Taraganj on December 23, 2018.
Rangpur got a facelift with decorations and lighting to welcome the prime minister, who was visiting the city after more than a decade.