Talk-show distractors are bootlickers greedy for power, says Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said those who criticise the government on television talk-shows do not wield any power, but they are 'greedy' for it.

Taking at dig at her distractors at a programme at Tungiparha on Friday, she said they were not qualified to run the country and stand beside the people.

"There are some people who don't like anything. They look for a 'but' in everything. They sit in an air-conditioned room and criticise,” she said.

"But they are greedy and want to come to power. They are ghosts of (Pakistani military ruler Yahiya Khan) who had groveled at his feet,” she added.

The prime minister said it was a government that she headed which first approved private television channels and “now they criticise us the most”.

She arrived at Gopalganj's Tungiparha around 10am and paid tributes to Bangladesh's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman afterwards.

Later, she inaugurated seven development projects in the Upazila.

Addressing the civic rally, Hasina also spoke about issues regarding the Padma Bridge and said that river training and construction of the bridge will start at the same time and be completed by 2018.

Without naming the World Bank, she said, "We were slandered with corruption allegations in Padma Bridge project. We protested and challenged it, and now it has been proved that no corruption took place there."

It was a conspiracy, she said, adding, "We don't need money from those who slander us and now we are building the bridge with our own resources."

The government was training people to help them to make a living and setting up institutes for that, she said.

The prime minister also took pride in the fact that Bangladesh's poverty rate dropped to 25 percent.

Hasina reiterated her government’s pledge to reach the electricity to every house.

She focused on different development projects undertaken for the southern region.

Paira maritime port, naval base and power plants were being built and rivers excavated in the region, she added.

The prime minister highlighted Bangladesh’s economic progress and increase in forex reserves and said: “We’ll stand on our own feet.”

She announced that the government would build residential apartments in villages.