Hasina accuses BNP of violating party constitution

The prime minister says it is wrong to compare the BNP to the Awami League

Gopalganj Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 25 Feb 2023, 01:37 PM
Updated : 25 Feb 2023, 01:37 PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the Awami League can never be compared to the BNP because the latter does not follow its own charter, let alone the law of the land.

“Many say there are two [major] political parties in Bangladesh. Some draw a comparison between the Awami League and the BNP. How can the Awami League be compared to the BNP, which does not follow its own constitution and the country’s law?” she said.

The BNP-led coalition won 33 out of 300 seats in the 2008 election, while the alliance headed by the Awami League secured 263, Hasina said. “Then how can the two parties be at the same level?”

The BNP does not want people’s welfare, and it was evident in violent protests by the party when many people died in the firebombing of buses after the 2014 polls, Hasina said at a rally in Gopalganj’s Kotalipara on Saturday.

Hasina inaugurated 48 development projects and opened the construction of five others during the visit to her constituency.

The prime minister travelled by road and used the Padma Bridge to cross the river. “There were many attempts to defame us over the bridge's construction. We considered it a challenge because we didn’t come to power to make a fortune through corruption.”

“The World Bank tried to slander us but failed. We’ve been able to establish direct road connection with Gopalganj, including Kotalipara and Tungipara, and the southern districts because we built the bridge with our own funds.”

Hasina said her government continued subsidies despite price spirals in the international market. “But we need to be frugal in using electricity because of rising energy prices.”

The prime minister travelled to her birthplace Tungipara after the rally.