DHAKA, Jan 11, 2022 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said
the country will be undoubtedly run following the directives and
guideline of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
that he had given through his ideological speech on the historic
homecoming day.

  "Father of the Nation delivered his policy-making speech and issued
directives on his homecoming day on January 10, 1972 to govern the
country, and we have to go ahead with that ideology, directives and
guidelines," she said.

  In this connection, she said that "We have to pull the country
ahead, and the development spree of Bangladesh must not be allowed to
disrupt at anyhow," she said.

   The premier was addressing a discussion organized by Awami League
(AL) marking the homecoming day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at its central office in city's 23 Bangabandhu
Avenue. She chaired the discussion joining virtually from her official
residence Ganabhaban.

   Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Awami League, said those who
turned the country into the kingdom of murders and war criminals as
well as the land of corruption will not be allowed to stay on the soil
of this country. "This (message) should be made clear to them," she
sounded firmly.

   Besides, she also reiterated boldly that they will not allow anyone
to play ducks and drakes with rights of the people.

   The premier said Awami League is in the power for three consecutive
times elected by the votes of the people.

   "If we were not elected by the votes of the people then we wouldn't
have come to the power for three consecutive times and completed 13
years," she said, adding: "This is reality and it have to be
accepted."

   She mentioned that when AL remains in the power the wheels of
development continue keep rolling.

   Presidium Members Begum Matia Chowdhury, MP, Jahangir Kabir Nanak,
Abdur Rahman and AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, Joint Secretary and Education
Minister Dr Dipu Moni, MP, Joint Secretary and Information Minister Dr
Hasan Mahmud, MP, Joint Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Central Working
Committee Member Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram,
Organizing Secretary Mirza Azam, MP, Dhaka South City President Abu
Ahmed Mannafi and Dhaka North City President Sheikh Bazlur Rahman also
spoke.

   AL Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, MP,
moderated the discussion from the Ganabhaban end.

   On January 10, 1972, Bangabandhu returned the sacred soil of
independent Bangladesh via London and New Delhi after 290 days of
captivity in a Pakistan jail.

  Recalling the disturbance that had been created in the
post-independent period during Bangabandhu's regime, Sheikh Hasina
said the people who wrote columns criticizing the government of Father
of the Nation or created unstable situation in the country in the name
of movement or scientific socialism, actually what they had wanted to
do.

   She added: "That is my question . . . still not gets the answer of
that question," she said.

   The premier also criticized the attitude of a section of people,
saying indeed it’s the habit of that group to criticize all good works
of Awami League.

   She noted: "Those who never wanted independence of the country,
those who had run the country taking killers and war criminals with
them and wanted to destroy development of Bangladesh, some of their
cohorts are still in the society and in the political arena. They are
making these unnecessary whims."

 About the allegation of wasting money in the name of development
activities, she said if thousands of crores of Taka are spoiled in the
name of development, then how Bangladesh became the role model of
development before the world.

 Highlighting various success stories of the country in the last 13
years, she said that many developed and rich countries are not giving
Covid-19 vaccine free of cost.

   "We are providing the jabs fully free and so far over 13 crore
people have been brought under the inoculation," she said.

   The head of government renewed her call all of the countrymen to
receive vaccine to be remained protected from the lethal virus, saying
"there is no scarcity of vaccine."

   Sheikh Hasina called for maintaining the pace of development that
gained during the last 13 years under the Awami League government.

   "We have to materialize the dream of the Father of the Nation to
turn the country into a hunger-poverty-free developed and prosperous
Sonar Bangla," she said and urged all to take this vow.

  Mentioning that Father of the Nation had taught them to love the

country and its people, Sheikh Hasina said: "When he (Bangabandhu)
returned the country on January 10, he said that the people of this
country will get food, clothes and a better life, and this is our
ideology."

  She also strongly condemned the misrule of BNP-Jamaat, mockery of
Ziaur Rahman in the name of election as well as anti-national
conspiracy and propaganda against Bangladesh at home and abroad.

  The premier said that she would like to tell them, who are looking
for corruption today, try to remember how much corruption had been
taken place in Bangladesh since 2001 as they had siphoned off hundreds
of crores of Taka abroad through corruption, made Bangladesh world
champion in corruption five times as well as created militancy and
"Bangla Bhai".

  She also urged them, who are talking about loan defaulters today, to
know the aspects that Ziaur Rahman has created a culture of loan
defaulters in this country to create an elite class after grabbing
power.

  She continued that during the BNP's regime there was a budget of
Taka 64,000 crore, but the present government has raised it to over
Taka six lakh crore, which would not have been possible without
economic development of the country.

  Sheikh Hasina questioned: "If money was not spent, then how the vast
work had been completed?"

   She went on saying that those who raised question today regarding
election might have forgotten the history of the past.

   During the BNP regime, she said, the Awami League leaders and
activists were tortured along with vandalism and arson attack on their
homes in the name of the election and manipulated the vote of people
which is known to all.

   The country's people don't let anyone without punishment that
lesson has been received BNP leader Khaleda Zia in 1996 when they
stole votes, she said, adding that she (Khaleda) had to go to the
President to submit resignation from the post of Prime Minister after
taking permission of people.

   The premier said: "Today we've made Digital Bangladesh and using
that platform they are spreading misinformation against us at home and
abroad. Those who can't tolerate the development of Bangladesh, they
often say nothing has happened, nothing has happened."