Hasina urges party activists to shun conflicts before next polls

Bangladesh Awami League president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged her activists to make the party stronger by increasing its popularity at grassroots level, reports BSS.

“Awami League is the only party in the country which can change the fate of the people. So, the party must be made stronger, reinforcing its popularity among the rural people,” she told AL grassroots leaders.

Addressing a special extended meeting of her party at her official Ganabhaban residence, Hasina likened the party to her family and said, “I want to make the country prosperous though fulfilling the dream of the father of the nation, and you can be the architect of shaping the dream.”

The extended meeting is being held in the second phase participated by grassroots level leaders of the party from Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal divisions. The first phase was held on 23 June 2018. The next phase meeting of the grassroots level is scheduled to be held on 7 July 2018.

She urged the party leaders to highlight before the people the development projects and programmes taken by the government over the years for their welfare.

She also sought their support for effective functioning of the community clinics and school feeding programmes to allow people to get a better life.

The AL president urged the aspirants of next general elections for shunning all conflicts and propaganda against one another and work together to ensure victory of the ‘Boat’ (party’s election symbol) in the next general elections, whoever gets the party ticket in their constituency.

“Our politics always revolve round the only dream to free the rural people from poverty and provide them with a prosperous life,” she added.

Sheikh Hasina said the people of Bangladesh had been deprived of development since 1975 as the anti-liberation force usurped power after Bangabandhu’s killing.

She also urged the party leaders and workers to extend their support to the government in the drive against drugs.

She thanked the leaders for their role in mobilising public support against militancy and terrorism and hoped that they would also come up with similar supports to curb the menace of drug in society.

Sheikh Hasina said her government has completed the trial of the Bangabandhu murder case and brought many war criminals to the book, making the notion false that the government would not be able to touch them.

“The trial of the war criminals manifested that people are the main power to determine the political course. Overwhelming support of the grassroots workers of Awami League and common masses are her main strength to bring the war criminal to the court of justice,” she said.

The prime minister said no government except ones led by Awami League could take forward the country to an accelerating development path.

“So, you have to work to make people aware so that they don’t cast votes for a political party responsible for promoting militants, terrorists, killing and corruption,” she said.