Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said she will live at her village in Tungipara after retirement from politics.
“Whenever I will retire (from politics), I will go to my village and stay there – it’s my decision … I will stay in Tungipara, my ancestral village,” she said in her speech after a spectacular cultural show at Bangladesh Ansar and VDP Academy here this morning, reports BSS.
The artistes of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP performed in the cultural function on the occasion of the 39th National Rally of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP).
Sheikh Hasina became emotional seeing two children dancing on a boat at the cultural function at the Ansar-VDP lake. She said that she recalled her childhood memories by witnessing the boat.
“My grandfather had a big ‘panshi’ boat having two rooms and windows … When I boarded the boat, I used to touch water with my hands sitting near the windows,” she reminisced.
Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, continued: “I along with others, especially my brother (Sheikh) Kamal, used to jump and dance climbing on the roof of the boat … when I see boats, I remember my this childhood memories.”
The prime minister pointed out her government’s initiatives for turning every village into a town. “Our aim is that the rural people will get all urban facilities … they will get better life and will live beautifully,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said: “We want the future of today’s children will be brighter and more beautiful as well as technology-based.”
The prime minister sought cooperation of all to build a more developed and prosperous Bangladesh.
She said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu liberated the country with a goal of establishing a hunger-and-poverty-free Sonar Bangla.
“Our commitment is to materialise his dream. We have removed hunger and cut down the poverty rate significantly and the rate of poverty will have to be cut further … Bangladesh will have to make more developed and prosperous and for this, I seek cooperation of all,” she said.
The prime minister said she has firm belief that the Ansar and VDP members could change every village.
“Bangladesh is a beautiful country and all will have to work to build our motherland in such a way so that we could move keeping our head high, not begging alms from others … we will establish ourselves by standing on our own feet and through our own resources,” she said.
Ministers, the deputy speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, advisers to the Prime Minister, parliament members, chiefs of the three services, diplomats and high civil and military officials were also present at the function.