Renewing her stance for holding the next national election as per the constitution, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday expressed her firm belief that people would bring back her party to power as they are strongly against terrorism and militancy.
“If people want food and peace, if they want free distribution of textbooks, if they don’t want terrorism and militancy, then I do believe people will vote for AL. If people voted for AL, we would surely retain office, but it depends on the people,” she said.
Painting a negative picture of her oppostion, Hasina said if people want corruption, Hawa Bhaban, militancy and chaos, then she "had nothing to say" as it would depend on them.
The Prime Minister was addressing the National Grand Rally of Professionals held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
The premier renewed her assertion that the next parliament election would be held as per the parliamentary system of democracy practiced in other countries of the world.
Stating that the country had never witnessed peaceful handover of power except in her previous term, the AL president said after assuming office this time, her government had amended the constitution by forming a committee to protect voting rights of the people.
“We’ll have to hold the election following the constitutional process, we’ll have to begin the process from a certain stage so that no one could play with the fate of the country’s people, can snatch their voting rights or could deter the pace of the country’s economic advancement,” she added.
She alleged that the success of BNP in the five recent city corporation polls was accomplished by misguiding people through an orchestrated propaganda. “The people of those cities have already started experiencing its backlash as their workers have embarked on a race to capture everything, including footpaths.”
Claiming that the Election Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) have been working independently, the Awami League chief said the next election would be held in a free, fair and neutral manner, and people would exercise their franchise since votes belong to them.
“We’ve done all the necessary work to maintain a democratic system in the country as we want the democratic march forward to continue in the country,” she added.
In this regard, the premier called upon professionals of all fields, including teachers, engineers, agriculturist, physicians, journalists, lawyers, and economists, to massively project the government’s development activities before people and tell them about the importance of maintaining development so that they could live in peace.Criticising the role of the anti-Rampal Coal-based power plant activists for raising their voices, the Prime Minister said coal-based power plants have already been established in Boropukuria, Dinajpur, but there had been no acid rain or crop damage.
“For what motive are they raising their voices against Rampal Power Plant?” Hasina said, adding that her government would not do anything harmful to the Sundarbans, as the mangrove forest was declared a world heritage site in her previous term.
About the opposition leader’s threat to stop the work on Rampal coal-based power plant, Hasina said, “Khaleda could do such thing as she in her term drastically reduced the country’s power generation by shutting down power plants we had set up.”
The Prime Minister also said the government would move ahead with the plan of 6,600MW coal-fired power generation and asked the anti-Rampal activists to visit the site of Boropukuria coal-based power plant in Dinajpur.
Criticising the controversial"‘tetul theory" of Hefazat-e-Islam Amir Allama Ahmed Shafi, Hasina said if women stayed indoor as per the "tetul theory" then there would be no development in the country.
“If BNP-Jamaat takes power, they would send women back home from their jobs.”
The Prime Minister said her government would move ahead with the plan to implement the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project with own fund, saying efforts would be there from the government in the future to accomplish all of its own construction, including designs.
About the freedom of press, including that of private satellite channels, the Prime Minister said her government gave licenses to many TV channels but they are criticising her government irresponsibly.
She urged the media to be constructive in their criticisms.
The PM’s Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Professionals Coordination Council President Justice AFM Mesbahuddin, Secretary General Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan, Dhaka University Vice Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, Buet Vice Chancellor Prof SM Nazrul Islam, Professionals Coordination Council leaders from divisional level and the US also spoke on the occasion.