Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Sunday reiterated her call for people’s alertness against murderers and war criminals attempts to regain power to destroy the country.
"We have achieved victory. We have to march ahead upholding the flag of victory,” she said while chairing an Awami League (AL) discussion at the Krishibid Institute Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium at Farmgate in capital Dhaka, marking the 52nd Victory Day.
Sheikh Hasina added: “So, we all have to be alert to make sure that the killers and war criminals cannot destroy the country regaining the (state) power."
The premier said BNP wanted to oust the AL government giving an ultimatum of December 10, when the process of killing of the country's top intellectuals started just ahead of the cherished victory 51 years back.
"Is it (ousting) so easy," she posed a question.
The premier said AL had demonstrated its capacity to topple governments in the past as “we had ousted Ayub Khan. We had removed Yahya Khan after defeating him in the Liberation War (and) we had unseated Ershad".
She said Awami League, however, could not oust Ziaur Rahman but protests were staged wherever he had gone and “we also had removed Khaleda Zia on charges of rigging vote in the February 15, 1996 national election”.
The premier said AL also foiled Khaleda Zia’s attempt to stage a farcical election with 1.23 crore fake voters in 2006.
But, she said, it is difficult to oust the Awami League government through movements.
"Conspiracies are hatched whenever Awami League is in power. We had been barred from coming to power due to conspiracies in 2001. The people of the country had to suffer for it," the premier said.
People have to take decision whether they want to suffer or to march towards prosperity with indomitable pace holding the flag of victory, she said, adding, "We will build 'Smart Bangladesh' by 2041".
Road Transport and Bridges Minister and AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader MP, gave the address of welcome.
AL Advisory Council Member Amir Hossain Amu, MP, Presidium Members Begum Matia Chowdhury, MP, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, MP, Shajahan Khan, MP, Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdury Maya, Bir Bikram, and Simeen Hussain Rimi, MP, Joint General Secretary and Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, MP, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Advocate Mrinal Kanti Das, MP, Dhaka North and South City AL President and General Secretary Sheikh Bazlur Rahman and Humayun Kabir respectively, among others, spoke on the occasion.
AL Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, MP, and his deputy M Aminul Islam moderated the discussion.
Source: BSS