AL won’t stop until uplifting the poor: HPM Sheikh Hasina

Awami League leaders and workers should continue the struggle until fulfillment of the cherished goal of Bangabandhu to change the destiny of the marginal people, she said in her inaugural speech at an extended meeting of the party at Gonobhaban on Saturday morning.

"Bangabandhu visualized his dream in a sentence- every people will have access to food, shelter and a prosperous life. And as the leaders and workers of Awami League it's our duty to materialize the dream," she said.

"Awami League will not stop its struggle until the destiny of the downtrodden is changed and the party will administer the state power until giving the people a prosperous life," she said adding that it has been repeatedly proved that Bangladesh can prosper under the stewardship of Awami League.

General secretary of the party and Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader gave the welcome address in the first grassroots meeting of the ruling party after the national conference in October last year.

The meeting began with recitation from the holy books while office secretary of the party Abdus Sobhan Golap placed an obituary report.

Publicity secretary of the party Dr Hasan Mahmud conducted the meeting.

In her more than one-hour speech, the prime minister highlighted the country's socioeconomic progress during the tenure of Awami League government, criticized BNP for destructive politics, and gave directives to the party leaders and workers regarding their duties ahead of the next general elections to woo public support.

The prime minister said Bangladesh was set on the path of progress after Awami League came to power in 1996 and 2008 and the progress continued as the party assumed power again in 2014.

Awami League leaders and workers have to work with devotion for keeping the party at the helm of the power to make the development sustainable, she said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said as a political organization, the Awami League has been vocal since its very inception for the rights of the people. People get development and they learn to shape their aspirations when Awami League remains in power, she added.

But, in the course of its long journey, the party had to go through many ups and downs when grassroots leaders and workers were the saviors, the Awami League chief said, adding that the anti-liberation force always tried to find flaws with Awami League and a quarter always tried to tag Bangabandhu as a good political leader but a worse administrator.

However, their propaganda would be proved false if the capability of Bangabandhu is considered as an administrator after the liberation in rebuilding the country's economy, developing infrastructures, framing various legislations and gaining foreign recognitions for a newly born nation, the Prime Minister observed.

"It was not an easy task to rebuild the economy of a war-ravaged country only in three and a half years. It had been possible due to a dynamic leader and an efficient and patriotic administrator like Bangabandhu," she said.

Recalling the contributions of the grassroots leaders and workers of Awami League to the party's long journey, the Prime Minister said they had to suffer colossally after the killing of Bangabandhu and four national leaders. Many of them were abducted and killed, depriving the families of even getting their bodies.

Sheikh Hasina said all post-1975 governments tried to eliminate the Awami League and in 2001 the intimidation of BNP-Jammat alliance on the leaders and workers of Awami League had no limit. Yet, the party survived because of the tremendous sacrifice and dedication of the grassroots workers, she said.

Sheikh Hasina expressed her gratitude to the Awami League leaders and workers for electing her as the party chief in 1981, saying she returned home from exile with utmost determination of implementing the ideology of Bangabandhu. So, it's the prime task of the Awami Leaders and workers to work with devotion to implement the ideology, she added.

The Prime Minister said the people of Bangladesh had suffer due to lack of food, shelter, cloth and other basic needs for 21 years after the killing of Bangabandhu. Scores of people died of starvation and used clothes were bought from abroad to fulfill their demand as they had no power to buy a piece of new cloth, she said.

The military dictators were responsible for creating a handful of wealthy people in the country to serve their own interests and promoting the culture of bank loan-default and corruption, keeping the millions of people starved.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government assumed office with an aim to bring prosperity in people’s life. Out of that view, she said, the Awami League government adopted many social safety programmes for the welfare of the extreme poor.

Pointing out the social welfare programmes undertaken by the government for welfare of the extreme poor, the Prime Minister said her government is not for pouring oil on the heads of persons with oily hair. All the government programmes are dedicated to the welfare of the have-nots, she said, adding that it's the cornerstone of her government's economic policy.

The Prime Minister said her government has taken programme for giving allowance to the freedom fighter to promote the spirit of the war of Liberation. BNP-Jamaat clique was out to take the country to a different course beyond that spirit, she said.

Programmes were undertaken for giving shelter to homeless people, generating opportunities for self-employment, extending healthcare services to women and children and providing education to the children of poor families, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said 30 types of medicines are being distributed among the patients from government hospitals and community clinics free of cost, facilitating the people to have primary healthcare service.

She urged the Awami League leaders and workers to visit the community clinics, monitor their activities and provide financial assistance to help poor get services in those centres.

The Prime Minister said the people of Bangladesh now have access to information through online services as telecommunication has been made available for them with the introduction of the 3G service. The 4G service would also be available soon, she said.

Sheikh Hasina urged the party leaders and workers to always keep in mind that Bangladesh was born at the cost of huge sacrifice. So, Bangladesh would not beg to others to survive, she said, adding that people are the main strength of Bangladesh for its survival.

In this regard, the Prime Minister pointed out her government's refusal to take credit facilities from the World Bank for constructing the Padma Bridge, saying the people of Bangladesh have proved that they can face any tough challenge.

She urged the party workers to go for extensive publicity of development works of the present government before the people and strengthen the party at the grassroots level.

Criticizing BNP, the Prime Minister said they have no humanitarian attitude. Their politics is for plundering public money. Bangladesh became champion in corruption for five consecutive years during BNP regime; Sheikh Hasina recalled and said that they didn't allow any institution to function properly.

She asked the party workers to project to the people in rural areas the atrocities of BNP and Jamaat which they perpetrated after assuming power in 2001. The barbaric activities of BNP in 2013, 2014 and 2015 should also be brought to the notice of the people, she said.

BNP could give nothing to the people except indulgence to terrorism and militancy, she said.

The Prime Minister said the Vision-2030 of BNP is a trick. Their ultimate goal is to go to power and amass wealth illegally, she added.

Photo: Saiful Islam Kallol