Shawdesh Desk:

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday reiterated that Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat were trying to foil the parliamentary elections scheduled for January 7.

‘The consequences will not be good if anyone tries to foil the election,’ she warned adding that the people were the strength of her party.

Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, was delivering her introductory speech at Awami League’s Parliamentary Nomination Board meeting held at its Dhaka district office at Tejgaon to finalise the party’s candidates for the 12th parliamentary elections.

She said that BNP- Jamaat alliance did not participate in the 2014 elections as they had no confidence about their win.

She also said that although BNP-Jamaat tried to malign the 2018 elections, they failed to show any specific evidence of irregularities to support their claim.

She said that Awami League wanted democracy to prevail in the country and the political parties would continue their activities freely.

‘But while BNP was in power Awami League did not get that scope. Some 21000 leaders and activists of Awami League were killed across the country during their regime,’ she said.

The AL chief ruled out any confusion regarding free and fair vote. ‘There is no doubt about free and fair elections’

She urged the people to exercise their voting rights with confidence.

She said that Awami League government had made a law to make the Election Commission independent which was once under the office of the prime minister.

‘By bringing 82 amendments, the government has made the law suitable for free, neutral and fair elections,’ she said.

She mentioned that the Election Commission was formed in the country under the law which was enacted by the government.

She said that after the assassination of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the people of the country were deprived of their democratic rights and right to vote.

‘Illegal power grabbers took off their uniforms and suddenly became politicians. Ziaur Rahman hijacked the democratic process and suspended the constitution and issued martial law,’ she said.

She mentioned that people had been cheated in the name of democracy during the regime of Ziaur Rahman.

Criticising the countries which are now talking about Bangladesh, she said, when the military dictators violated people’s rights, where was their consciousness.

The ruling party president said that BNP leader Khaleda Zia had to resign on March 30 in 1996 for her crime of rigging votes.

She said that according to the manifesto announced by Awami League, the budget formulation and vision plans have been adopted every year.

‘After Digital Bangladesh, Awami League now aims to create smart government and smart society by creating skilled smart population,’ she said.

Pointing to BNP-Jamaat she said that no one can go to power by killing people and destroying people’s lives.

Hasina admitted that BNP’s acceptance was increasing when it was holding peaceful rallies and doing healthy politics.

‘But when they reverted to their old forms of violence, they again got isolated from the mass people,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina urged BNP to come to the polls although they had earlier resorted to ‘nomination business.’

‘Awami League also wants to see whose strength is greater,’ she said.