Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday hoped that good sense will prevail upon BNP leader Khaleda Zia and she will stop the politics of killing and arson attacks.
“I hope good sense will prevail on BNP leader Khaleda Zia and she’ll stop the politics of killing people through arson …that want one thing I want from Allah,” she said.
The prime minister said this while inaugurating the much-awaited Sheikh Lutfar Rahman Bridge, locally known as Patgathi Bridge, over the Madhumati River in Tungipara upazila in Gopalganj district through a videoconferencing from her official residence Ganabhaban.
She also laid the foundation stone of Kalna Bridge over the Madhumati River in between Kashiani upazila in Gopalganj and Lohagara upazila in Narail, and inaugurated the newly-built Tungipara BRTC Training Institute in Gopalganj.
Hasina said the politics of killing people should come to an end forthwith. “Those whose hands have the smell of burnt dead bodies and those who kill people, my question is, for whom they do their politics,” she questioned.
The prime minister also said she wants Khaleda Zia to stop killing people right away. “She’s causing many mothers to lose their children…she’s forcing numerous people to embrace permanent disabilities,” Hasina said.
She said the BNP-Jamaat alliance started the politics of killing through arson attacks to terrorise the country’s people, and they started this without any issue.
“We never saw such movement in our lifetime…we were involved in so many movements, but we never killed people, they (BNP-Jamaat) are not even sparing infants, children, and women and youths…this is very unfortunate,” she said.
AL never torched any passenger bus when it was in movements, Hasina said adding that it was BNP which always set fire to buses and when it was in power in 2004 brought out one accused from jail and set fire to a bus in front of the then Sheraton Hotel. “Later, cases were filed against our leaders and activists,” she recalled.
She categorically said Awami League never ever attacked the general people. “Rather our leaders and activists were killed on various occasions.”
On this day in 1988, Hasina said, 30 leaders and activists were killed when she went to Chittagong for holding a rally.
Turing to the ongoing transport blockade, the Prime Minister said agricultural production in the country is now very much satisfactory, but farmers cannot market their produces due to the blockade enforced by the BNP-Jamaat alliance.
“Fifty to 60 drivers of various vehicles, including trucks, buses, have been killed so far, this is too much. The man is he best creature of the nature. This is very much heinous job to kill people through arson attacks and setting fire,” she said.
Hasina said her government believes in the politics of development and welfare of the country and its people and has been working to reach fruits of independence to every house.
As part of the initiatives, she said, infrastructures including bridges, roads and other big establishments are being constructed across the country.
In this regard, the prime minister mentioned that the newly-constructed Sheikh Lutfur Rahman Bridge will create the great opportunity of communication and transportation of goods in Gopalganj and its surrounding regions.
The Prime Minister said her government wants to leave a beautiful and prosperous future for the next generation as the country is marching ahead to materialise the dream of Bangabandhu.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader joined the videoconference from Gopalganj.
