Sajeed wazed Joy to look after the development of Northern region

"The Awami League (AL) government fulfilled all pre- election pledges during the past five years and will provide electricity for every house during the next five years and ensure the supply of natural gas to Rangpur region," he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son and noted IT expert Joy said this while addressing a huge public rally at Rangpur Zila School ground. .

In his 20-minute speech, Joy recalled the pledges made by him and his mother Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina several years back at another public rally at the same venue for the people of Rangpur and northern region.

"As per our pledges, the AL government has turned Rangpur into a division, set up Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur City Corporation and driven away seasonal curse of 'monga' permanently from the region over the past five years," he said.

He said the AL government has worked for development of the country over the past five years, ensured smooth power supply and there is no load-shedding now in the country.

Joy remembered that he had committed to build a digital Bangladesh five years back when the critics raised questions saying that what would be utility of digital Bangladesh as the villagers would not be able to purchase computers. "Then I replied the villagers would not require purchasing computers and I will send computers to rural areas so that they get all necessary services at their doorsteps," said a happy Joy adding that a digital Bangladesh has already been made.

The common people of every village are now getting all services from the Union Information Service Centres (UISCs) at their doorsteps and many UISC entrepreneurs are earning lakh of Taka every month, he said.

"The rural people are now easily downloading forms for overseas jobs, admissions to the universities and passports at the UISCs at the lowest cost and filling those without going to the towns and cities," he said.

The AL government has made an epoch-making progress in the education sector and distributed crores of books for free among the students throughout the country every year and no other government could do this in the world, he said.

"We set up health centres in the villages to ensure madicare services for the rural people at their doorsteps during the past years," Joy said.

He said the AL government has done huge digital development during the period at Rangpur Medical College Hospital where the people of the region are now getting quality emergency treatments of heart ailments without going to other places.

Joy said the AL government has built many roads, bridges, culverts, schools, buildings and infrastructures and created jobs during the past five years bringing smiles to the face of the people of Rangpur region.

During the BNP government, farmers were shot dead in the northern region and the farmers are easily getting fertiliser and electricity and cultivating rice through smooth irrigation, he added.

Joy said BNP leader Begum Khaleda Zia has been criticizing the present government, but she is not saying that AL has been conducting the upazila elections, while BNP had cancelled the upazila systems.

He criticized the anarchy, terrorism, uprooting trees, setting fire with gunpowder and killing innocent people by BNP- Jamaat before and during the last general elections to create fear among the common people everywhere including the northern region.

"I am grateful to the common people of the northern region as they came to the polling centres to cast votes during the last general elections despite the anarchy, terrorism and burning of several hundred schools in the region," Joy said.

"We have come to power for another five-year term to do more works," Joy said and pledged to supply natural gas to Rangpur region for commercial industrialisation and employments for accelerating uplift in the northern region," he said.

Joy said Bangladesh would become a middle-income nation ahead of the year 2021 and called upon all to realize his grandfather's dream for a Sonar Bangla and his personal dream of building a digital Bangladesh.

Acting President of district AL Mamtaz Uddin Ahammed presided over the rally jointly organised by the district and city units of the party.

Treasurer of AL HN Ashikur Rahman MP, central AL leader SM Kamal Hossain, Organising Secretary of AL Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury MP, State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak, Sate Minster for Power and Mineral Resources Nasrul Habib Bipu MP, Deputy Minster for Youth and Sports Arif Khan Joy, Whip Iqbalur Rahim MP, Tipu Munshi MP, AKM Ahsanul Haque Deuk MP, Manjurul Islam MP, former Chhatra League President Mahmud Hasan Ripan, General Secretary of central Chhatra League Siddique Nazmul Alam, also addressed the rally among others.