Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reaffirmed her vow to make Bangladesh’s upcoming general election free, fair and neutral, reflecting the will of the people.
“There are some people who talk about free, fair and neutral elections. But the country has witnessed free and neutral elections whenever the Awami League has been in power,” she told a rally while inaugurating the Dhaka-Bhanga rail link project at Mawa close to the Padma Bridge.
She unveiled the inaugural plaque of the project before joining the rally.
The prime minister criticized those who talk of throwing her Awami League government out of power.
“And the people who talk about free and fair elections cast Awami League out of power every day. In reality they do not want a neutral election,” she said.
Without naming the BNP, Sheikh Hasina said the party was established by a person who grabbed power illegally. “They came to power by rigging votes.”
However, in a free and fair election held in 2008, the BNP-Jamaat 20-party alliance got only 29 out of 300 seats as people rejected “vote thieves,” Sheikh Hasina said. Since then, they have been staying away from elections, she added.
“Apart from boycotting the polls, they resorted to arson terrorism, killing innocent people and destroying public properties,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the ruling Awami League, urged the people not to allow vested quarters to play with the fate of Bangalis.
She said the people of the country attained independence with blood and they will not allow anyone to destroy it.
Bangladesh, she said, will march forward with its head held high in the world bearing the ideology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She reiterated her vow to transform Bangladesh into a smart country by 2041. “We will build a smart population, smart economy, smart government and smart society. It is our goal… No one will be able to hold back Bangalis. Bangalis will remain united.”
Without naming Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Younus, the prime minister said the World Bank stopped funding for the Padma Bridge because of this person only for the position of managing director, which he lost due to age limit.
“I promised that day, we would build the Padma Bridge with our own financing, and we have done it,” she added.
The prime minister said the people who do not believe in the country’s independence and the spirit of the War of Liberation have failed the people of Bangladesh.
She said the people of the country have started to reap the benefits of the development projects that have been implemented by the Awami League government.
“We have been able to turn the country into a developing nation through the implementation of Vision 2021," she said.
She said communication has been given the highest priority.
The prime minister briefly highlighted the development activities of Bangladesh Railway in the last 14 years and six months.
She said during the three consecutive tenures of her government, they have built 873 kilometres of new railway tracks, completed the conversion of 280km meter-gauge railway to dual gauge and 1,391km of tracks have been rehabilitated/reconstructed.
During this period, she said, the government constructed 1,037 new railway bridges, rehabilitated/reconstructed 794 railway bridges and constructed 146 new station buildings along with rebuilding 237 stations.
She added that in the overall development of railways, the government has incorporated 111 locomotives, 658 passenger carriages, 516 freight wagons and 50 luggage vans to Bangladesh Railway.
She mentioned that a total of 143 new trains have been launched on various routes alongside the development and modernization of signalling systems at 134 stations.
“We have taken the initiative to procure 46 new broad-gauge locomotives, 460 new broad-gauge passenger carriages, 200 new meter-gauge passenger carriages and 1,310 new wagons to increase rail speed, passenger service and quality of goods transportation,” she stated.
She said within the next 3-4 years, the passenger and goods transportation capacity of Bangladesh Railway will increase to an international level, and the quality of rail service will be improved.
Bangabandhu’s younger daughter, Sheikh Rehana, was present at the ceremony.
With Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan in the chair, Secretary Md Humayun Kabir delivered the welcome address.
Local lawmaker (Munsiganj-2) Sagufta Yasmin, Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen also spoke on the occasion.
At the outset, a video documentary showcasing the rail link project along with other development works of Bangladesh Railway under the current government was screened.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Railways Ministry ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Quamrul Ahsan and Project Director Afzal Hossain were on the dais.