Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina kicked-off party’s election campaign on Wednesday (Dec 12) from Gopalganj soliciting vote for ‘boat’ to stop “anti-Liberation elements”.
“The country is marching forward in line with the spirit of the Liberation War.
“You’ll have to cast vote for boat (AL’s polls logo) to give a fitting reply to those who joined hands with the anti-Liberation elements, war criminals, convicts, terrorists, and made them candidates in the election,” she said while addressing a public rally at the grounds of the Sheikh Lutfar Rahman College at Kotalipara.
“We hope that you’ll give us another chance to serve the nation.”
“The country is moving forward with the Liberation War spirit. With this spirit Bangladesh is moving fast keeping its head high in the world,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Hasina reached Gopalganj’s Tungipara, her ancestral home, by road around 2pm. She placed a wreath at the Bangabandhu shrine and attended special prayers along with her family and party leaders.
Leaders and activists waited at different places on the way carrying placards, banners and festoons to support the party symbol ‘boat.’ They chanted slogans supporting their leader. Hasina greeted the crowd in response.
Hasina is contesting the 11th national election from Gopalganj-3, the constituency that covers Tungipara and Kotalipara. She has been elected six times from the seat.
The prime minister is expected to address the rallies planned at Bhanga, Faridpur, Rajbari, Arwa Union, Paturia, Manikganj Municipality, Rabeya Medical College Hospital premises in Dhamrai and Ward-5 in Savar on her way back to Dhaka on Thursday.

Addressing the Kotalipara rally, Hasina said since Bangladesh would celebrate the golden jubilee of independence in 2021 “I urge the countrymen to prevent . . . so the anti- liberation forces, war criminals, killers and arsonists can’t be in power at that time”.
“The people’s fate will be exposed to disaster and they will face hunger and illiteracy again if the anti-liberation forces come to power,” she said.
The Awami League chief added: “As it’s my first election rally, I seek vote for boat to serve the people again and build Bangladesh as a hunger and poverty-free country as dreamt by Bangabandhu in the spirit of the Liberation War.”
Highlighting her government’s tremendous achievements in different sectors, the prime minister said: “We’ve tried war criminals and the killers of Bangabandhu. Bangladesh is moving ahead with the spirit of the liberation war and has stood on the global stage by raising its head high.”
Pointing out that every work of her government is welfare-oriented; the Awami League president said Bangladesh is now marching towards development and prosperity as the government is adopting multifaceted plans.
“It has been proved that the fate of the people is changed, when Awami League came to power,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said there will be no poverty in Bangladesh and all villages will be turned into towns if her party is reelected. The prime minister said Bangladesh is now a role model of development in the world as the continuity of the government was maintained.
She said the BNP-Jamaat nexus tried to foil the 2014 elections and overthrow the government by unleashing fire terrorism and vandalism. “They committed heinous acts like burning the people alive and they torched 582 schools and 3500 vehicles as well as a number of land offices and power plants,” she said.
Hasina said the people didn’t respond to the BNP-Jamaat movement in 2014 and 2015. “Today Bangladesh is now a role model of development as the people reelected Awami League through the 2014 elections,” she said.
The prime minister said Bangladesh will celebrate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu in 2020 and hundred years of independence in 2071. “We’ll celebrate Mujib Borsho in 2020-2021 by establishing Bangladesh as a poverty-free country,” she said.
Hasina also reaffirmed her vow to build Bangladesh as prosperous and developed country by 2041. “We’ve adopted the Delta Plan-2100 to keep up development and make it permanent,” she said.
The Awami League president said 93 percent people have been brought under electricity coverage as her government has increased the country’s power generation to 20,000 MW in the last 10 years.
“Our aim is to reach electricity to every house,” she said.

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