BNP Chairperson and former premier Khaleda Zia would have to pay the price for boycotting the 10th parliamentary election, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday.
“You made a mistake by not contesting the poll, so why will the people pay the price? Rather, you will have to...” Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina said while addressing a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.
The AL organised the programme to commemorate the homecoming day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on January 10, 1972.
“Khaleda Zia has unleashed her party’s criminals and militants of the Jamaat-Shibir on the minorities and innocent people of the country, as they cast votes in favour of the Awami League ignoring their call to boycott the poll,” Hasina said.
Accusing the opposition BNP-Jamaat for “criminal activities,” the premier said: “You wanted to resist the poll, but failed. Now stop killing innocent people in the name of hartal and blockade. Otherwise...the Awami League knows how to prevent it.”
She said the BNP chief and some war criminals and terrorists would not be able to stop the progress of Bangladesh.
“So I request you to stop violent activities and come to a negotiation table... Let us resolve the crisis through talks,” the premier said.
She also asked the people to assist the government in preventing the criminal activities of BNP-Jamaat.
The AL chief again thanked the people for not responding to the call of the BNP chairperson who had urged them to foil the 10th parliamentary poll. She thanked the 40% voters for casting their rights in favour of the AL, braving all sorts of obstacles.
The premier said a vested quarter had been hatching conspiracies to foil the poll to take benefit from an unconstitutional government.
“But the people cast votes to establish democracy in the country,” she said, adding that the countrymen would not want to see any “terrorist” party in power anymore.
Informing the people about her meeting with the president on Thursday, the premier said: “I met with the president as leader of majority party. We will form the next government and take oath on January 12 [tomorrow].”
AL leaders, including Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Matia Chowdhury and Syed Ashraful Islam also addressed the rally with Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury in the chair.
There was a huge crowd during the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan where Bangabandhu had given his historic speech on March 7, 1971. Controversial Lawmaker Shamim Osman and Former State Ministers Quamrul Islam and Jahangir Kabir Nanak joined the programme along with a large number of activists.
