Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday again called upon the countrymen to re-elect the Awami League in the next parliamentary election for "continuation of development and welfare of the people".
Addressing a mammoth public rally at the Rangunia Pilot
School playground in Chittagong district in the afternoon, Hasina said that
after assuming office in January 2009, her government had enhanced the country’s
power generation capacity significantly, nationalised over 26,000 primary
schools across the country and raised the wages of the workers by 60-70
percent.
She also claimed that the country has become self-sufficient in
food.
“I urge you to cast your votes for the boat symbol to give the
Awami League another chance to serve the country, make the country free from
stigma and for the continuation of development work", she said.
Hasina
reached the rally ground at around 4pm and started addressing the gathering at
around 4:15pm.
She reiterated her government's firm commitment to
complete the trial of those who committed war crimes during Bangladesh's War of
Independence in 1971.
She said the International Crimes Tribunal
announced its maiden verdict against Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar who
committed crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation. The trial of the
remaining culprits must be finished to free the nation from a 42 year-old
stigma, she said.
The Prime Minister said her government has so far
re-opened 27 jute mills to regain the lost glory of the ‘golden
fiber’.
“While in power, the BNP handed over the country’s share of the
international market of jute to India pushing the sector towards
destruction.”
Highlighting various achievements of the present
government, the Prime Minister said her party assumed power to ensure people's
welfare, but she alleged that the BNP "assumes power to resort to looting of
public properties".
“The opposition leader has amassed so much of wealth
through corruption that she had to legalise that by giving fine,” Hasina
added.
In her half-hour-long speech, she listed the success and
development projects taken by her government in the last four
years.
Rangunia municipality mayor and the upazila unit Awami League
President Khalilur Rahman Chowdhury presided over the meeting organised by the
upazila unit of the Awami League.
The rally was was addressed, among
others, by Jute and Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Primary and Mass
Education Minister Dr Afsarul Amin, Environment and Forests Minister Dr Hasan
Mahmud, central Awami League Organising Secretary Bir Bahadur MP, Chittagong
city unit Awami League President ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, President of Awami
League Chittagong north district unit Engineer Mosharraf Hossain MP and ruling
party lawmakers Nurul Islam BSC, Abul Kashem Master, Hasina Mannan and Chemon
Ara Toiaba.
Earlier in the morning, the Prime Minister inaugurated the
54th convention of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) on the IEB
Chittagong Centre premises and addressed the inaugural session.
After
inaugurating the IEB convention, she went to the Circuit House from where she
inaugurated the Faujdarhat Nursing College, Institute of Health Technology at
Faujdarhat, Bangladesh Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases and Cardiac
Surgery Department of Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
From the same
venue, she also laid the foundation stone of an 850-bed hospital for women and
children.
Later, she flew to Pomra in Rangunia to inaugurate the
resumption of operations of Karnaphuli Jute Mills and Forat Carpet
Factory.
