Discard politics of killing, plundering and corruption: HPM Sheikh Hasina to Khaleda Zia

"We want that the trend of democracy to continue ... we want that they (BNP) don't commit the mistake of skipping election again. Rather we want they would contest the elections and the people would judge that who would come to power," she said.

The prime minister was addressing a civic reception accorded to her by expatriates Bangladeshis at City Conference Centre here on Thursday evening.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali spoke at the function.

The prime minister said Khaleda Zia doesn't feel well if Bangladesh witnesses any development and she always sees destruction of the country not uplift.

Referring to Begum Zia's comments that Bangladesh is going through a bad situation, she said it's not Bangladesh, rather those who stole the orphans' money and those who are afraid of facing cases and who lost cases in the higher court despite filing writs for 150 times are going through bad time.

Sheikh Hasina said the BNP leader doesn't feel comfort when the people of the country stay well. "They feel good when they kill people and plunder and destroy the country's property," she said.

The prime minister said when BNP was in power, it looted public money by opening Hawa Bhaban and committing unbridled corruption. "Khaleda Zia's sons know only looting and taking commission and they only learned how to amass wealth," she said.

Accusing Ziaur Rahman again of his involvement in the tragic August 15 incident in 1975, the Awami League chief said BNP leaders were also involved in the August 21 grenade attacks and 10-truck arms haul. "They made several attempts on my life. But I tried to forget that incidents in the interest of the politics, country and the people," she said.

The prime minister also mentioned the rampage and killing unleashed by the BNP-Jamaat in 2013, 2014 and 2015. "The BNP doesn't understand anything except killing and it doesn't know any work except destruction ... the people didn't forget how the BNP inflicted torture on the countrymen," she said.

Sheikh Hasina urged the expatriate Bangladeshis to project the BNP's terrorist acts before the people side by side with the country's development.

"The people will have to be informed that the BNP is an organisation of militants and terrorists and they killed people by burning ... their character will have to be unmasked before the people," she said.

Pointing out the government's anti-militancy and anti-terrorism campaign, Sheikh Hasina reiterated that there won't be any place for militancy and terrorism in the country.

"Islam is the religion of peace and it never supports the killing of innocent people ... we've taken massive ptogramme to contain terrorism and militancy," she said.

Referring to the law enforcement agencies's anti-militancy drive, Sheikh Hasina said the BNP chairperson sheds crocodile's tears when any militant is killed in the operation.

Sheikh Hasina also came down heavily on Dr Muhammad Yunus for his role in stopping the World Bank fund for Padma Bridge project and instigating Hilary Clinton to phone her after loosing his MD post from the Grameen Bank and giving threat to her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy for three times by the US State Department.

Highlighting the country's tremendous development that took place in the last eight years, the premier said that mobile phones and laptops are now in the hands of common people while they are also getting services from the countrywide community clinics.

"But, during the misrule of BNP-Jamaat, the power generation was reduced as they only gave electric poles to people," she added.

Sheikh Hasina said the BNP-Jamaat plundered the aid fund, wanted to keep people poor and thus bringing more aid through showing the sorrow state and dead bodies of people. On the other hand, she said, the policy of Awami League is to stand the nation on its own feet not begging from others. "We'll live with dignity," she said.

The prime minister mentioned the contributions of the expatriates to different movements as well as the economic development of the country.

She also pointed out her fruitful talks with the King and the Prime Minister of Sweden.

Photo: Focus Bangla