Shawdesh Desk:

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has called the BNP-Jamaat vote thieves, saying the Bangladesh people will vote for Awami League in the next elections as she was accorded a civic reception by expatriate Bangladeshis in the United Kingdom.

‘They (BNP-Jamaat) will destroy Bangladesh. So, make sure that BNP-Jamaat clique cannot come to power again,’ she told the function held at London Marriott Hotel here on Sunday (local time).

The prime minister also called upon the countrymen not to cast vote for BNP-Jamaat as they’re out to destroy the country.

She said her party would win the next general polls as it is always beside the people in their needs.

‘Insha Allah, the people will give us scope to serve them. All AL leaders and activists will have to work confidently as we can win the vote,’ the prime minister said.

She also expressed her hope that the people of the country would not keep trust in the BNP-Jamaat.

Sheikh Hasina said: ‘They (BNP) laundered the country’s money abroad and such destroyed the country. So, how the people will have confidence in them?’

She said the people had already known that they (BNP-Jamaat) were thieves, corrupts, killers, grenade attackers, looters and patrons of killers.

The PM said that BNP-Jamaat nexus siphoned off money and put the country on the verge of the destruction.

She said that Tarique Rahman had been sentenced for his corruption and the government had been able to bring back some Tk 40 crore that was siphoned off by Khaleda Zia’s younger son Coco.

The PM reiterated her vow that the country would be a Smart Bangladesh by 2041, saying, ‘We have formulated Delta-2100 plan. We have to take the country forward.’

She said that there would also be no homeless, landless people in the country.

‘Awami League works for the welfare of the people. No person in Bangladesh will remain without food,’ she added.

The prime minister again dubbed the BNP and its leaders as vote thieves, saying, ‘Tarique Zia is a vote thief and his mother is also a vote thief.’

She said that Awami League did not come to the power through vote rigging like BNP-Jamaat.

‘Awami League always fights for the rights of the people. It comes to power after being elected by people. It never grabbed or stole power,’ she said.

The prime minister asked the BNP leaders that how many parties did participate in the February 15, 1996 election and how many votes were cast?

Sheikh Hasina, also AL president, said that the people of the country were aware enough about their right to vote.

‘We have made the people aware of it,’ she said.

The prime minister said no one had anything to say about the 2008 election.

‘What was the result of that election? How many seats did BNP’s 20-party alliance get? The 20-party coalition won 29 seats in that election and 1 in a by-election, totaling 30 seats. And the remaining seat was of the Awami League led alliance. We got all. What is their (BNP-Jamaat) position to the people that they jump so much?’ she said.

The prime minister also briefly enunciated her government’s various development programmes in the last 14 years.