Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Friday said the anti-liberation forces are still showing their arrogance in the country even after 50 years of independence.
"The anti-liberation forces are still active; they are not happy with the development and progress of the country. The BNP is the main protector and sponsor of the anti-liberation forces. We have to protect the country from this evil force," he said at an event in Chittagong.
Also joint general secretary of the ruling Awami League, Hasan said that the evil forces spread confusion in the country time and again.
Confusions were spread during Covid-19 and the construction of the Padma Bridge and “now they have started making fun of the people of the country.”
He was speaking at a discussion on Independence Day, held at Chittagong’s Sholashahar LGED Auditorium organized by Chittagong north district unit of the Awami League.
Hasan said the Covid pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war increased commodity prices around the world and the price of some import-dependent products have also gone up in this country too.
"Considering the situation, Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given family cards to 10 million families so that the low-income people do not fall in sufferings and can buy TCB products at low prices. But the BNP and some intellectuals cannot tolerate reducing the suffering of the people," he added.
The minister said the genocide of the innocent people took place on the night of March 25, 1971.
"We have demanded its international recognition. We are continuing our efforts and its international recognition is logical. But when the leader of a party who served as the prime minister said three million people were not actually killed in the country during the Liberation War then the question of international recognition of the genocide arose. Such statements by the BNP, Khaleda Zia and the BNP's efforts to protect war criminals are obstacles to international recognition of the genocide," Hasan added.
The information minister said Bangladesh is moving forward on the path of fulfilling Bangabandhu's dream under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.
"Bangladesh has become a dignified state before the world today. The per capita income rose to about $2,600, surpassing that of India. Only 20 countries of the world had positive GDP growth in the fiscal year 2020-21 and Bangladesh is one of them.
“The only two countries were above us -- South Sudan and Guinea. Their economies are much smaller than ours, with a much smaller population. With that in mind, we can say that the economic growth of Bangladesh in the fiscal year 2020-21 was number one in the world," he said.
Hasan added that the people of the country are happy with this step taken by the Sheikh Hasina-led government and the whole world praises the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.
"The whole world, including the secretary general of the United Nations, the president of the World Bank and the outgoing president of the United States of America are praising the advancement of Bangladesh. The president and the prime inister of India have visited Bangladesh and praised, the heads of government of different European countries praised, but one party cannot praise the present government.
“That is BNP-Jamaat and some other well-known intellectuals who cannot appreciate the development and progress of our country," he added.
Regarding global commodity prices, he said: "The price of bread, Europe's main food item, has risen by 60% to 70%. There, prices of other consumer goods have risen sharply in recent weeks. It has also increased in America, India and Pakistan. In Sri Lanka, several people have been crushed to death while trying to get in a line for oil.”
The minister also said Bangladesh successfully dealt with the first, second and third waves of Covid. “But BNP, its allies and some so-called intellectuals who become active after midnight have spread a lot of propaganda against it.
“When we started giving the Covid-19 vaccine, much publicity was given by the so-called intellectuals against this vaccine, saying that the vaccine is an Indian vaccine and taking it will harm the body. Again, overcoming their own shame, they took the vaccine publicly, while others took it secretly," he said.
The information minister said that the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the greatest Bengali nation of all time was the leader who awakened the sleeping Bengalis of thousands of years and moved them step by step towards the country's independence.
He said that Pakistanis followed the policy of “soil scorching” which had mixed Bangladesh with the soil and burnt village after village during the war of independence.
"Bangabandhu was leading the country towards prosperity by rebuilding it from garbage and debris,” Hasan said.
