Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the people of the country will give a befitting reply with votes to local and foreign conspiracies being hatched to bring a third party to power to disrupt the January 7 election.
“We will give a befitting reply to the conspiracy through the election of January 7 so that no one else can play with the fate of the people of Bangladesh,” said the prime minister.
The premier was addressing daylong election rallies in Gopalganj and Madaripur on Saturday ahead of the next parliamentary election.
"The goal of the conspirators is that there will be no election in our country; here they will bring in a third party. What can the third party do? They cannot do any development of the country? You have seen what they did in 2007," said the prime minister.
"We will take part in the January 7 election with our party's electoral symbol Boat. Go early to the polling centres to cast your vote (for Boat) to show the world that we can hold the election in a free, fair, neutral and peaceful manner," she added.
Sheikh Hasina, who is the ruling party’s candidate for the Gopalganj-3 seat, said: “If we win the next election and can form a government, we will bring him (BNP leader Tarique Rahman), who has been issuing orders while staying in London, back to the country to face justice."
Criticizing the BNP’s anti-election activities the Awami League chief said: “They (BNP) do not consider people as people. Orders are coming from abroad to kill the country’s people. This is their character. They have understood that the people of the country are no longer with them.”
Referring to Tarique Rahman as a murderer, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said BNP leaders are killing people following his orders.“ I wonder what the benefit is to those who follow these orders. Those who are involved with killing people will be brought to justice.”
The Awami League president said: “No one but the Awami League can continue the development trend of the country. They (BNP) do not have that qualification.
“The BNP is a party of murderers and the Jamaat is a party of war criminals…We will execute the verdict of the fugitive killers of the Father of the Nation. Those who have fled abroad will be brought back from abroad, no matter what the obstacles are.”
The Awami League president later thanked the people of Tungipara and Kotalipara of Gopalganj for taking responsibility as she considered their support as her strength.
"I am looking after 300 seats and you people are taking care of me. I want you to vote for me as a candidate," she said, asking: "Will you vote for me?"
The people attending the rally chanted “yes” in response.
The prime minister along with her younger sister Sheikh Rehana reached the venue of the rally at 11:20am and hoisted the national flag at the rally, which turned into a human sea.
Later, the prime minister addressed two other election rallies in Kotalipara in Gopalganj and Kalkini in Madaripur.
Earlier in the morning, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina along with her youngest sister Sheikh Rehana, and other family members paid rich tributes and offered prayers at the mausoleum of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her entourages joined the Tungipara rally at Government Sheikh Mujibur Rahman College ground.
The rally was expected to start at 11am but the enthusiastic voters and supporters of the prime minister gathered at the venue early in the morning.
Former Red Crescent Chairman Sheikh Kabir, Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, and Bagerhat lawmaker Sheikh Tonmoy, among others, spoke at the colourful rally while other family members of Bangabandhu, including Sheikh Helaluddin and Sheikh Salahuddin Jewel were on the stage.
After the Tungipara rally, the prime minister’s motorcade moved on to two election rallies at Sheikh Lutfor Rahman College ground in Gopalganj and Kalkini Syed Abul Hossain University College ground in Madaripur.
At these two rallies, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon the new voters and the youths to vote for her party's election symbol, for the continuation of the country's development.
At the Madaripur rally, the Awami League president also introduced her party's candidates to the voters from the stage, where Awami League leaders Shahjahan Khan, AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Abdus Sobhan Golap, among others, spoke.
Tungipara Upazila Awami League President Sheikh Abul Bashar Khair, Kotalipara Upazila Awami League President Nogendranath Biswas and Vice President of Kalkini Upazila Awami League Abul Kalam Azad presided over the three rallies, in that order.
Central and local Awami League leaders, including actors Mir Sabbir and Tareen Jahan, also addressed the rallies.
After completing three election rallies Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her entourage returned to Dhaka via Padma Bridge.
In the coming days, Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to join several election rallies in Dhaka and Narayanganj.