‘100 percent literacy if voted again’

A peaceful, poverty-less Bangladesh with 100 percent literate population is what Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promised, if voted to power for a second consecutive term.

She said her government would bring peace and prosperity to the nation.

“I’d request you to vote for the Awami League in the forthcoming polls. Militancy and terrorism won’t return if we come to power,” she said while announcing regularisation of the Azimpur Girls School and College on Saturday in Dhaka.

“We’ll take the literacy rate to 100 percent if voted to power,” said the two-time Prime Minister.

She inaugurated sub-power stations at Azimpur and Kotwali, laid foundation stones of a mother care centre at Lalbagh, a community centre at Islambagh, and of Prasanna Poddar Lane Government Primary School.

Hasina had earlier opened a 1,000-seater 11-storey girls’ hostel at the Eden Mohila College.

Saturday’s rally was organised at the Azimpur Girls School and College premises.

The ruling Awami League chief recounted her school days amidst cheers from hundreds of students who attended the rally.

“This school has to become the number one school in Dhaka,” said Hasina, a former student of the institute.

She said her political career started from this school.

“We used to go to the Dhaka University Bottola to listen to the speeches during the student movement in 1962,” she said.

Hasina said she also secure first position in the ‘dress as you like’ event.

In her 32-minute speech, she sought the people’s mandate for her party. “You (the people of Lalbagh) were not deprived by electing Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin,” she said.

She took a dig at the BNP saying it had pushed the country towards food crisis after seeking vote for its electoral symbol ‘sheaf of paddy’.

Hasina said she had lost her family in 1975. “I have nothing to wish for except the prosperity of Bangladesh.”

She said the BNP was creating ‘anarchy’ in the name of movement to press for a non-party caretaker government to oversee the forthcoming national polls.

“The opposition does not understand the language of democracy…they have set people on fire after dragging them down from vehicles in the name of movement, killed members of police, BGB and the army,” Hasina said.

Hasina alleged the opposition was spreading canard against the Awami League ahead of the polls.