Hasina rolls out election campaign as she visits Sylhet

With less than a year to the 11th national election, the ruling Awami League has started its campaign with party chief Sheikh Hasina seeking votes from a public rally in Sylhet.

“Our election campaign starts here,” Prime Minister Hasina told the crowd in the city’s Alia Madrasa ground on Tuesday.

“I seek your vote for Boat in the polls slated for December,” Hasina said referring to her party’s symbol.

“Raise your hands and promise that you will vote for us. Bangladesh shot to global fame because you voted for us in the past.”

In her first visit to the north-eastern city since taking office for the second consecutive term in 2014, the prime minister came down hard on the BNP saying it’s a party which only “knows how to destroy”.

“They have burnt down thousands of vehicles in five years. Firebombs burnt 3,000 people.”

The prime minister’s daylong visit to the divisional city started at 10:30am, when a special Biman flight carrying her and the entourage landed at Osmani International Airport.

The divisional town was decorated with banners, posters, billboards and archways to welcome her.

Like previous visits, Hasina first visited the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal, Hazrat Shah Paran and Hazrat Gazi Burhan Uddin after reaching the town.

She then headed to the Sylhet Circuit House for lunch before appearing in the public rally.

Before her address, the prime minister inaugurated 20 projects and unveiled foundation stones of 18 other projects at the rally venue.

The ruling Awami League won 15 out of 19 constituencies in Sylhet in the 2014 elections. Jatiya Party won the rest.

At the very beginning of her address, Hasina paid her respects to the late party leaders from the region -- Adbus Samad Azad, Shah AMS Kibria, Dewan Farid Gazi and Suranjit Sengupta.

Highlighting development efforts during her administration, Hasina told the rally: “The Awami League in power means development and BNP means destruction.”

The shrine of Hazrat Gazi Burhan Uddin, a prayer room for women, expansion of the road leading to shrines, new buildings for Sylhet Government High School, laboratory and fertiliser testing centres, district office of Narcotics Control Directorate, Sylhet Divisional and District NSI office, Sylhet Freedom Fighters Complex, and Jakiganj Upazila Freedom Fighters Complex are some of the projects that Hasina inaugurated on Tuesday.

The prime minister unveiled foundation stones for prayer rooms for women at Shahjalal shrine, Begum Fazilatunnesa Hall for SUST, Gowainghat Upazila Parishad building, two hostels for Osmani Medical College, 250-bed district hospital, barracks and armoury for Sylhet police, dormitory at Kotwali Police Station compound, Tamabil immigration building, police lines in Lalabazar and hostels for the visually impaired people.