Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina has urged the people to vote for her party’s electoral symbol “Boat” to save the country from devastation by the BNP-Jamaat and give them another chance to serve the nation.

“I call upon you all to vote for the ‘Boat’ so that the Awami League can serve the people again. BNP-Jamaat will destroy the country and my party only can save the country from the devastation,” she said.

She was addressing a grand rally at the newly constructed Dr Kazi Abu Yusuf Stadium here, organized by the Faridpur District AL marking inauguration of the Dhaka-Mawa section of the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project. Earlier, the premier inaugurated the project at Mawa in Munshiganj.

“Today, I am giving you a gift, the Padma Rail Bridge after the Padma Bridge,” she said.

The Prime Minister reached Bhanga from Mawa by crossing the mighty Padma River by a special train this afternoon after opening the Padma Rail Bridge in Mawa.

Describing the BNP as a party of looters, she said that the top leaders of BNP had been engaged in embezzling the money of orphans, money laundering and firearms trading and one of them (Tarique Rahman) left the country giving a bond of not doing politics while the Jamaat is involved in war crimes.

Sheikh Hasina alerted the countrymen against the bad element and stand beside the Awami League as this party has always been working to change the fate of the countrymen.

She said the ‘Boat’ has brought the country’s independence, given the Padma Bridge, Padma Railway Bridge, built thousands miles of roads, schools, colleges and infrastructures and thus carried out the overall development of the country.

The nation has achieved the status of a developing country as per the ‘Vision 2021’ and Bangladesh will start emerging a developing country from 2026.

She said the world has now recognized Bangladesh as a role model of the development.

“It had been possible as the people of the country voted the Awami League to power time and again,” she said.

“Staying beside the people in their needs” is the politics for the Awami League, she said, mentioning that her party leaders and activists rendered every sort of assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sheikh Hasina said that she returned home with a determination to mitigate sufferings of people for want of food as well as to ensure that nobody remains homeless and landless, everyone gets medical treatment at doorstep, everyone gets education and also to provide improved life as her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman attained the independence.

“I’ve survived bomb attacks and terrorist activities but didn’t step back, rather stepped into the field with a determination to serve the people of the country,” she said.

Expressing her gratitude to the people of Bangladesh as well as leaders and activists of Awami League, she said that when she returned home there was no family member alive. “I found the people of Bangladesh…they are my family, they are my all, and my work is for them.”

Referring to the dictatorship of Ziaur Rahaman who grabbed power illegally and his persecution of political leaders and activists, the Awami League President said that her party has established rights to voting and food as well democracy in the country changing the slogan – “I will vote for whoever I want”.

Highlighting the development of Faridpur, she said the people of Bangladesh got independence by voting for Boat, similarly all areas of the country have witnessed development as they voted Awami League to power.

She assured the people of Faridpur that if her party is voted to power again, they will establish a university here.

The Prime Minister said that she knows that many intellectuals are not beside her, but the people of Bangladesh are with her. “If the people of Bangladesh stay beside, any impossible can be done, which we’ve proven through the construction of the Padma Bridge,” she added.

She continued, “Now, we inaugurated the rail connectivity through the Padma Bridge.”

Echoing the Bangabandhu’s quote – “No one could hold back the Bangalees” that he said in his historic March 7 speech, the Prime Minister said, “No one will be able to hold back these Bangalees anymore.”

“Many conspiracies, many plots are there, but my only resort is the people of Bangladesh,” she added.

Regarding the 560 model mosques and cultural centers, she said that the mosque-cum-cultural centers are being constructed across the country so that people could get an opportunity to know the religion.

People of all religions such as Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian fought hand in hand in the War of Liberation to attain independence. “So, people of all faiths will enjoy their religious freedom, observe their religious rituals; it’s our policy and our religion Islam teaches us it.”

In this regards, she criticized BNP as the party, after coming to power, carried out atrocity and torture on the people of other faiths.

“But, Awami League wants to build this country with non-communal spirits,” she added.

Mentioning that the image of Bangladesh has brightened now, she said, “Our aim is to keep running the progress and development of the country.”

Reiterating her call to boost food production in the wake of Russia-Ukraine war, post-Covid-19 and other global difficulties, she urged the countrymen to produce their own food and bring every inch of land under cultivation.

She also called upon the countrymen to be austere in using electricity and water.

Sheikh Hasina also vowed that there will be no homeless and landless people in the land of Father of the Nation, saying that so far they have provided home and land to 840,000 families and will provide more. “InshaAllah, no one will remain homeless, landless and address-less in Bangladesh.” source : bss