SANGSAD BHABAN, May 9, 2024 (BSS) - Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina today told the parliament that none can isolate her from the people as they have confidence and trust that she has been working for their welfare.

"You can't isolate me from the people. My strength is the people and I move ahead with their strength. The people have trust and confidence in me that I am working for them. So, the confidence and trust of the people in me is my only belongings. So, I don't care anyone as long as the countrymen are with me," she said.

She was delivering the valedictory speech in the second session of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) with Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

Sheikh Hasina said that she is well aware that her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated on August 15, 1975 as assassins failed to isolate him from the people.

The vested quarters, she said, had conducted massive propaganda against Father of the Nation despite the fact that he had given every foundation of running the state including enactment of the Constitution for the welfare of the country and its people.

"After being failed to separate him (Bangabandhu) from the people, they killed him. Attempts were also made time and again on my life," she said.

The leaders and workers of the Awami League saved her even sacrificing their lives, she said.

The premier said she will work for the country and its people ignoring all such attacks on her life.

Sheikh Hasina, also President of the Awami League, said they have been working for betterment the countrymen.

"The countrymen are reaping benefits of the development works done by us. What can we do, if you try to make every work questionable?" she posed a question.

The premier said questions had been raised about necessity of constructing rail track on the Padma Bridge and metro rail in Dhaka.

She, however, said the people who are enjoying the facilities can tell better about their necessity. Per hour around 60,000 people can travel from Uttara to Motijheel in the city by metro rail, she said.

The premier urged those who are on hot pursuit to criticize every work of the government to change their mindsets. "Recognise what we have done for development of the country," she said.

.Sheikh Hasina castigated them who are now talking about the power outage saying that the Khaleda Zia's government had shot dead people in Kansat being failed to give power.

"We can now generate over 16,000MW power which was only 1,600MW during the BNP's regime," she said.

About enactment of a special law, the premier said her government enacted the law as they wanted to quick generation of power and opened it to the private sector.

"New law is essential to open power generation to the private sector. We want quick generation of the power as the government can't do it alone. We have to give it to the private sector. Employment generation will not be increased if it is not given to private sector," she observed.

About capacity charge in case of setting up power plants, Sheikh Hasina posed the question, "Is there any country which did agreement of building power plants without capacity charge?"

"Show me one country which did agreement without capacity charge," she said.

The premier said none was given clemency, adding that her government had realised 10,000 US dollar per day from Summit Group, which had first built power plant in private sector in Khulna, as they did not complete work of a power plant in due time.

"It should bear in mind, we will not give mercy to anyone. There is no section of giving clemency in the law," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the BNP men are now shouting about democracy and the voting rights despite the fact that their leader military dictator Ziaur Rahman had destroyed the country's democracy and balloting system.

Zia had introduced the culture of vote rigging through farcical yes/no vote and presidential election and killed several thousand military personnel in so called trial after coming to power illegally.

Ershad and Khaleda Zia continued the legacy of Ziaur Rahman, she continued.

The prime minister said the BNP has boycotted the elections as they knew it very well that they will face defeat as the people of the country are yet to forget their misrule.

She also reminded all that BNP led alliance only got 30 seats in the 2008 general election while the Awami League bagged 233 seats. None could raise any question about the fairness of the election, she added.

Sheikh Hasina also said the BNP and its like minded government didn't do anything for the people in 29 years while the Awami League had done massive development of the country in the last 15 years.

Instead of working for the welfare of the country and its people, the BNP had created an elite group in Bangladesh by plundering public money, she observed.

From 2001-06, the BNP government had introduced the culture of terrorism, militancy and corruption, she said.

Zia, the premier said, had introduced the culture of loan default which was continued by Ershad and Khaleda Zia. Her government had been working to come out from its purview, he pointed out.