Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her government has no intention to win the upcoming national polls by snatching votes, rather they want a free, fair and neutral elections
The premier made the comments on Friday (Dec 7) during a meeting with 307 retired public service officials who made a courtesy call on the prime minister at her official residence Ganobhaban to express solidarity with her party-led government.
“We want the upcoming national elections to be free, fair and impartial where we have no intention to win the polls by hijacking votes,” news agency BSS quoted the prime minister as saying.
The bureaucrats, while meeting the prime minister, pledged to work for the victory of the pro-liberation forces in the upcoming national election, added the report.
The premier said her government worked for the welfare of the people. “If the people vote for us being happy, we will remain in power, otherwise not,” she said.
Referring to the 2001 elections, the Awami League president said her party did not lose in votes in that election. “We bagged more votes despite so many obstructions, but we were given less seats,” she said.
In this connection, Sheikh Hasina said after coming to power in 2009, she got a document (on the 2001 elections results) in the prime minister’s office.
“Which seats we will be given and which will not were marked in red, yellow, green and blue inks. From this, it was understood that how the elections were staged in that year,” she said.
Ex-secretaries Ashok Madhab Roy, Dr Khondakar Shawkat Hossain, SM Ali Kabir and Qmarunnesa Khanam and former principal information officer AKM Shameem Chowdhury, ex-additional secretary and freedom fighter Abu Taher, former additional IGP Shamsuddoha Khandakar, Agriculturist Wasiuzzaman Akhand, Engineer Kabir Ahmed Bhuiyan, Professor Dilara Hafiz, former director general of Health Directorate Dr Deen Mohammad Nurul Haque, ambassador Abdul Hannan, former director general of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Directorate Nomanur Rashid, former additional secretary Ansar Ali Khan also spoke at the function, among others.
Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury and PM’s Political Affairs Adviser HT Imam were present on the dais, while former principal secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury moderated the function.
Putting emphasis on maintaining the continuity of the government for further development of the country, the prime minister said the anti-liberation forces will destroy the country again if they come to power.
“So we don’t want to see the party of killers and war criminals, the anti-liberation forces and those who unleash fire terrorism in power again,” she said.
She added: “They (the anti-liberation forces) will ruin the country again (like the past), if they come to power. But we don’t want to go towards the destruction, we want to move towards advancement.”
Sheikh Hasina said if the Awami League cannot come to power, the ongoing development works will not be completed. “The anti-liberation forces will not finish the work as they don’t believe in the country’s independence,” she said.
The prime minister said why those who do not want Bangladesh be advanced and the people to stay well will do it. “But we want to change the lot of the people and for this, continuity of the government is a must,” she said.
The prime minister said her government aims to establish a developed and prosperous Bangladesh in South Asia by 2041, reads the BSS report.
