Work together to sustain national development: PM Hasina tells Awami League members

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked Awami League leaders and activists to work together to bring her ruling party back to power to sustain the momentum of development.

"If any party other than Awami League comes to power, development and the country will be destroyed," she said.

The prime minister said this at a meeting with the leaders and activists of Dhaka Metropolitan North Awami League at her official residence Ganabhaban.

She said that everyone should be vigilant so that anti-state, murderous, fundamentalist groups and anti-liberation war forces do not come to power.

"We have proved that when Awami League is in power, the country develops and people's quality of living improves. The country is moving forward as Awami League is in power. The respect for and status of Bangladesh abroad has increased a lot," she said.

"The change that has been visible since 2009 till date has been possible because Awami League has been in power consistently. We have come to power by winning people's hearts," she said.

She mentioned that Awami League did not avenge the torture that has been done to its leaders and workers from 1975 to 2008.

"We respond to injustice with development," she asserted.

Hasina, the chief of Awami League, said that the government has planned development in every district. As a result, the number of poor people in the village is very negligible.

"All the progress we have made in the last fourteen years and a half will be destroyed if the continuity of the government is not maintained."

She asked the party leaders and activists to publicise the development made by the Awami League government.

"At the same time, the development should continue and the Awami League needs to be brought back to power. People's trust must be earned and attained," she said.

Commenting that the upcoming national elections will be challenging, PM Hasina asked the leaders and activists to make the party stronger and better organised up to the grassroots level.

In this context, she called for paying special attention to the leaders and activists who were beside the party during the bad times. They must not be neglected.

PM Hasina said that her only strength is the party.

"No great achievement is possible without organisational strength. So the party has to be well organised from the grass root level."

Mentioning that many conspiracies have started regarding Bangladesh, the prime minister said, many vested quarters do not want our country to move forward.

Referring to the international conspiracy in this context, the Prime Minister said, those who provoked the BNP today will not put the party in power. "They will just use them."

She said that many attempts have been made to destroy the Awami League by killing the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on August 15, 1975.

"But that attempt was never successful. Bangladesh Awami League today has become a powerful organisation by winning people's hearts."

Commenting on the need to strengthen Awami League, the PM said, "After losing my parents and my brothers, Awami League is my family."

She said that the people of Bangladesh are her strength.

"They are my only hope. We are working tirelessly to improve the quality of their lives. Awami League is the only party that has contributed the most on the side of the people during the Covid pandemic."

Introducing Awami League nominated candidate for Dhaka 17 seat by-election, Mohammad A Arafat, the prime minister said, "I have handed over Arafat to you and everyone will have to work together to ensure the victory of the boat."