Bangladesh will follow the directives of Bangabandhu's 10 January speech: HPM Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the country will be undoubtedly run following the directives and guidelines of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that he had given through his ideological speech on the historic homecoming day.

"Father of the Nation delivered his policy-making speech and issued directives on his homecoming day on January 10, 1972, to govern the country, and we have to go ahead with that ideology, directives and guidelines," she said.

In this connection, she said that "We have to pull the country ahead, and the development spree of Bangladesh must not be allowed to disrupt at anyhow," she said.

The premier was addressing a discussion organized by Awami League (AL) marking the homecoming day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at its central office in the city's 23 Bangabandhu Avenue. She chaired the discussion joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Awami League, said those who turned the country into the kingdom of murders and war criminals, as well as the land of corruption, will not be allowed to stay on the soil of this country. "This (message) should be made clear to them," she sounded firm.

Besides, she also reiterated boldly that they will not allow anyone to play ducks and drakes with the rights of the people.

The premier said Awami League is in the power for three consecutive times elected by the votes of the people.

"If we were not elected by the votes of the people then we wouldn't have come to the power for three consecutive times and completed 13 years," she said, adding: "This is reality and it has to be accepted."

She mentioned that when AL remains in the power the wheels of development continue to keep rolling.

Presidium Members Begum Matia Chowdhury, MP, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman and AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, Joint Secretary and Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, MP, Joint Secretary and Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, MP, Joint Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Central Working Committee Member Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram, Organizing Secretary Mirza Azam, MP, Dhaka South City President Abu Ahmed Mannafi and Dhaka North City President Sheikh Bazlur Rahman also spoke.

AL Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, MP, moderated the discussion from the Ganabhaban end.

On January 10, 1972, Bangabandhu returned the sacred soil of independent Bangladesh via London and New Delhi after 290 days of captivity in a Pakistan jail.

Recalling the disturbance that had been created in the post-independent period during Bangabandhu's regime, Sheikh Hasina said the people who wrote columns criticizing the government of Father of the Nation or created unstable situations in the country in the name of movement or scientific socialism, actually what they had wanted to do.

She added: "That is my question . . . still not gets the answer of that question," she said.

The premier also criticized the attitude of a section of people, saying indeed it’s the habit of that group to criticize all good works of Awami League.

She noted: "Those who never wanted the independence of the country, those who had run the country taking killers and war criminals with them and wanted to destroy the development of Bangladesh, some of their cohorts are still in the society and in the political arena. They are making these unnecessary whims."

About the allegation of wasting money in the name of development activities, she said if thousands of crores of Taka are spoiled in the name of development, then how did Bangladesh become the role model of development before the world.

Highlighting various success stories of the country in the last 13 years, she said that many developed and rich countries are not giving the Covid-19 vaccine free of cost.

"We are providing the jabs fully free and so far over 13 crore people have been brought under the inoculation," she said.

The head of government renewed her call to all of the countrymen to receive vaccines to be remained protected from the lethal virus, saying "there is no scarcity of vaccine."

Sheikh Hasina called for maintaining the pace of development that gained during the last 13 years under the Awami League government.

"We have to materialize the dream of the Father of the Nation to turn the country into a hunger-poverty-free developed and prosperous Sonar Bangla," she said and urged all to take this vow.

Mentioning that Father of the Nation had taught them to love the country and its people, Sheikh Hasina said: "When he (Bangabandhu) returned the country on January 10, he said that the people of this country will get food, clothes and a better life, and this is our ideology."

She also strongly condemned the misrule of BNP-Jamaat, mockery of Ziaur Rahman in the name of election as well as anti-national conspiracy and propaganda against Bangladesh at home and abroad.

The premier said that she would like to tell them, who are looking for corruption today, try to remember how much corruption had been taken place in Bangladesh since 2001 as they had siphoned off hundreds of crores of Taka abroad through corruption, made Bangladesh world champion in corruption five times as well as created militancy and "Bangla Bhai".

She also urged them, who are talking about loan defaulters today, to know the aspects that Ziaur Rahman has created a culture of loan defaulters in this country to create an elite class after grabbing power.

She continued that during the BNP's regime there was a budget of Taka 64,000 crore, but the present government has raised it to over Taka six lakh crore, which would not have been possible without
economic development of the country.

Sheikh Hasina questioned: "If money was not spent, then how the vast work had been completed?"

She went on to say that those who raised questions today regarding elections might have forgotten the history of the past.

During the BNP regime, she said, the Awami League leaders and activists were tortured along with vandalism and arson attack on their homes in the name of the election and manipulated the vote of people which is known to all.

The country's people don't let anyone without punishment that lesson has been received BNP leader Khaleda Zia in 1996 when they stole votes, she said, adding that she (Khaleda) had to go to the President to submit resignation from the post of Prime Minister after taking permission of people.

The premier said: "Today we've made Digital Bangladesh and using that platform they are spreading misinformation against us at home and abroad. Those who can't tolerate the development of Bangladesh, often say nothing has happened, nothing has happened."