PM warns of tougher action against any mayhem like 2015

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Hasina yesterday warned of tougher actions against any attempt to create disorder in the name of politics under orchestrated plots like that of the 2015 one, staged by BNP.

"It was the wrong decision on the part of Khaleda Zia to boycott the general election in 2014. A political party must pay itself for any wrong decision of its own," she said while addressing a discussion organised by Bangladesh Awami League marking the jail killing day at Krishibid Institute here. 

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Awami League, said people of the country resisted them in 2015 when they tried to take revenge of their wrong decision on people and "in future people will resist any such attempt (as well)". 

The premier said BNP and anti-liberation forces thought of sending Awami League to oblivion through killing Bangaabandhu, the four national leaders and thousands of party leaders and workers in 1975 and afterwards.

"But, they failed to do it as the root of Awami League is in deep of the people of the country," she said.

"In the past many quarters tried to destroy Awami League, but failed. They will not be successful in doing so in future as well," she said. 

On this day in 1975, four national leaders - Bangladesh's first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, Syed Nazrul Islam, AHM Kamruzzaman and Captain Monsur Ali, who led the War of Liberation in 1971, were brutally killed in captivity inside the Dhaka Central Jail. 

The meeting, chaired by Sheikh Hasina hersef, observed one minute silence in memory of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his wife Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, martyrs of August 15 and the four national leaders.

Newly elected general secretary of Awami League Obaidul Kader gave introductory speech while Deputy Leader of parliament and presidium member of the party Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, member of the advisory council and commerce minister Tofail Ahmed, advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta, presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohammad Nasim and Dr Abdur Razzak and joint secretary Abdur Rahman, among others, took part in the discussion.

Daughter of Tajuddin Ahmed and member of Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) Simin Hossain Rimi, general secretaries of Dhaka City south and north units of the party Shah-e-Alam Murad and Sadek Khan also spoke on the occasion. Publicity Secretary of the party Dr Hasan Mahmud and Deputy Publicity Secretary Aminul Islam conducted the programme.

Paying her rich tributes to the memories of four national leaders the Prime Minister said November 3 is an another day of shame for the nation as the national leaders were brutally killed inside the prison in an unprecedented manner to stop the pro-liberation to come back to power again. 

"Anti-liberation forces killed Bangabandhu to take revenge of their defeat in the War of Liberation while the four national leaders were killed so that the pro-liberation force can never come to power in future," she said.

Describing the episode of Bangabandhu murder and jail killing in 1975, Sheikh Hasina said Ziaur Rahman was directly involved with Khandakar Mushtaque in masterminding the carnages, which came to light in the confessional statement given by the killers in the world media. 

She said Bangladesh had to witness 19 coup attempts as the outcome of illegal capture of power by Zia and Mushtaque which affected the country's armed forces most. 

"Zia hanged many military officers who even did not know what was their offense," Sheikh Hasina such killings happened repeatedly in the armed forces.

Apart from rehabilitating all anti-liberation elements who opposed Bangladesh's independence, the Prime Minister said Ziaur Rahman was the kingpin who allowed communal politics in the country which Bangabandhu declared illegal through article 12 and 38 of the constitution.

"By doing this Ziaur Rahman betrayed with the millions of martyrs," she said. 

The premier said it sounds very sarcastic when BNP claims that Zia restored democracy after taking power.

"How a sitting army chief can contest in lection for Presidency and how an army chief can float a political platform," she asked.

Sheikh Hasina added: "Instead Ziaur Rahman introduced 'curfew democracy' by enforcing nationwide curfew during his whole regime, making the whole country into a prison."

She said the process of formation of BNP is certainly illegal as it was constituted by Zia through capturing power illegally. 

Sheikh Hasina lambasted BNP chairperson for whitening her black money saying she now even afraid of appearing the count as she misappropriated the money of orphans. 

She accused BNP of snatching away the rights of bread and vote of the people and said the party had set example of vote rigging and manipulation asking BNP leaders to look back to their past as they are suspicious about a free and transparent election.

"How we forget the incidents of killing, torture and intimidation perpetrated by BNP-Jamaat from 2001 to 2006?" she asked saying there was no area of the country which didn't experience their brutality like 1971.

Pointing out the advancement of Bangladesh under the guidance of Bangabandhu after liberation the Prime Minister said the Father of the Nation was killed when Bangladesh's economic growth shoot up to 7 percent.

The death of Bangabandhu stopped the progress of the whole country except few ones close to power and for 21 years progress of Bangladesh remained stagnant and people were exploited and oppressed, she said.

Source: BSS