Bangladesh advances with spirit of sacrifices: PM

Bangladesh is making progress as the country is being governed following the spirit of great sacrifices taught by the martyrs of the Language Movement and the Liberation War, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said today (22 February).

"Today the fate of the country's people has changed since Bangladesh has been marching forward with the ideology that we had learnt from the great sacrifices the people of this country had made on 21 February  (the Language Movement) and during the Great Liberation War," she said while addressing a discussion on the occasion of the Language Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day-2024 in the city.

Bangladesh Awami League  arranged the discussion in its Dhaka district office in Tejgaon.

AL President Sheikh Hasina, who chaired the discussion, said people of Bangladesh witnessed the upliftment of the socio-economic situation in the last 15 years.

"Every person up to village level has seen improvement. The development of any country can't be possible without following an ideology. And this ideology we learnt from 21 February," she said.

The PM said the sacrifice in the 1952 Language Movement had taught the nation to move with an ideology of not to bow down to anyone.

"Ekush taught us not to bow down heads, rather move keeping heads high and following an ideology," she said.

None can pull Bangladesh back anymore, she said, adding, "We've to go forward with this conviction."

"Awami League has gained public trust and confidence as it works for the people. As a result, the people elected us, voting for us time and again," she said.

Pointing at BNP, Sheikh Hasina said they wanted to remove AL from power through movement and resist the election, but failed.

She said the country's most fair, free and impartial election was held on 7 January since 1975.

"Despite thousands of attempts, spreading false accusations and carrying out various lobbying at home and abroad, they could not resist the people from spontaneously casting votes," she said.

The prime minister said greater number of young and female voters cast their votes this time.

She said now again they [BNP] are making very hollow utterances that they would topple the government through movement.

"Jamaat and BNP are there. Ok, fine. But some leftist parties are also there who want to wage movement and make revolution," she said.

AL presidium members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, its Advisory Council Member Ataur Rahman, Dhaka South City AL President Abu Ahmed Mannafi, Dhaka North City AL President Sheikh Fazlur Rahman, Dhaka District AL President Benzir Ahmed and Director General of Bangla Academy Mohammad Nurul Huda, spoke on the occasion.