PM Hasina says she won’t tolerate attempts to destroy Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has again warned of tough actions against ‘vicious attempts’ to push Bangladesh towards destruction through violent blockade and shutdowns.

“It’s intolerable that attempts are being made to thrust the country towards devastation when we are moving forward,” she said on Thursday.

She also asked for everyone’s support to protect the country from ‘criminalisation’.

The prime minister was addressing the ceremony at the Osmani Memorial auditorium where she also handed over this year’s Ekushey Padak to 15 distinguished personalities for their contributions in their respective fields.

Taking aim at BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who called the ongoing nationwide blockade last month, Hasina said, “It is unacceptable that the people will have to pay the price and die for someone else’s failure and wrong political decision.”

“I want everyone’s help to free the country from such criminalisation,” she said.

Reminding the history of February, the month that marks the Language Movement of 1952, Hasina said, “Bengali nation faced attacks over and over again, but did not give in to subversion. Bengalis are moving forward and will continue to do so.”

Her remarks came in light of the ongoing BNP-led 20-Party alliance’s violent nationwide transport blockade that started on Jan 5. The coalition has also started observing shutdowns on the workdays recently.

At least 100 people have been killed and hundreds other injured in violence in the past one and a half months amid the blockade and shutdowns.

At the ceremony to hand one of Bangladesh’s highest civilian awards, she said, “We are holding this event at a time when we are working for our self-respect, language, culture and identity; but we are also seeing a horrible picture unfolding in Bangladesh.”

“Bangladesh is making progress, why is this attack taking place on the nation right at this moment?” Hasina asked.

She also criticised the BNP and its allies for obstructing the students from taking exams and pursuing studies by enforcing violent programmes.

The education ministry had to reschedule several SSC exams which started earlier this month due to the blockade and shutdowns called by the coalition.

The prime minister continued, “My question is, what are the crimes of these students? Why can’t they study? They are our future.”

“We won’t be able to free Bangladesh of poverty without building an educated nation. But today their (students) educations have been put on halt.”

“They (BNP-led coalition) are calling shutdown for every working day, whenever there’s an exam scheduled. It’s like their shutdowns are against the students, to get in the way of their exams or education,” Hasina observed.

The prime minister also rattled off a list of major developments Bangladesh made in different sectors in the past six years.

The government earlier this month had announced the names of 15 personalities for this year’s Ekushey Padak.

Hasina at the awards ceremony handed each recipient a gold medal, a citation, and a cheque of Tk 100,000.

Those who received the award this year are

• Piaru Sarder (Language Movement)
• Professor Majibar Rahman (Liberation War)
• Professor Dr Dwijen Sharma (Language and Literature)
• Poet Mohammad Nurul Huda (Language and Literature)
• Late Abdur Rahman Bayati (Arts)
• SA Abul Hayat (Arts)
• ATM Shamsuzzaman (Arts)

The list also includes
• Professor MA Mannan (Education)
• Sanat Kumar Saha (Education)
• Abul Kalam Md Zakaria (Research)
• Kamal Lohani (Journalism)
• Faridur Reza Sagar (Mass Media)
• Jharna Dhara Chowdhury (Social Welfare)
• Srimat Satyapriyo Mahathero (Social Welfare)
• Professor Arupratan Chowdhury (Social Welfare)