Don't allow anyone to play with people's fate: PM Hasina

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina today reiterated her call to the people not to allow anyone to play with the fate of the nation

"I urge the countrymen not to let anyone to play duck and drake with the Banglee Nation's fate," she said while inaugurating the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project's Dhaka-Bhanga section as chief guest unveiling a plaque at a civic rally here.

The premier said, "This country is ours; (we) attained independence in exchange for blood. Bangladesh will march forward in the world arena and stand with head high cherishing the ideology of the Father of the Nation."

Mentioning that Bangladesh will be a smart country by 2041, she said, "We will build a smart population, smart economy, smart government, and smart society. It is our goal."

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's younger daughter, Sheikh Rehana was present at the inaugural ceremony.

Echoing the Bangabandhu's quote "No one could hold back Bangalee" that he delivered during his historic March 7 speech, the prime minister said, "No one will be able to hold back this Bangalee, and Bangalee (nation) will remain united."

As Awami League (AL) remained in power, the country witnessed the neutral election, she said, citing the remarks of a section of people who are talking about free, fair and neutral elections.

"And the people who talk about elections, who cast AL out from power every day, they don't want neutral elections as their birth took place in the hand of a person who grabbed power illegally," she said, adding, "they didn't come to power without vote rigging."

She continued that the BNP-Jamaat led 20-party alliance got only 29 seats out of 300 seats in the 2008 election and since then they have been staying away from the elections.

At the outset of the function, a video documentary on the Padma Bridge rail link project and other development works of Bangladesh Railway under the present government was screened.

The prime minister said Awami League (AL), assuming power after 21 years, started to serve the people of the country.

"My question is that why the people, who were in power in 29 years-- from 1975 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2008, could not do the overall development of Bangladesh," she said.

She also said actually the people, who don't believe in the country's independence and in the spirit of the War of Liberation, didn't “look at the people of Bangladesh”.

She continued that the countrymen have started to get the benefit of the development projects taken by the AL government.

Sheikh Hasina said, "Today's Bangladesh is a changed Bangladesh. We have been able to turn the country into a developing nation through implementation of Vision-2021."

In this journey, the communication system has been given highest priority, she said.

The premier also briefly highlighted steps for developing Bangladesh Railway in the last 14 years and six months.

She said during these three consecutive tenures of her government, they have built 873 kilometers of new railway track, upgrade 280 km meter gauge railway to dual gauge and 1,391 km tracks were rehabilitated/reconstructed.

During this period, she said the government constructed 1,037 new railway bridges, while rehabilitated/reconstructed 794 railway bridges as well as constructed 146 new station buildings along with rebuilding of 237 stations.

She added that in the overall development of railways, the government has incorporated 111 locomotives, 658 passenger carriages, 516 freight wagons, and 50 luggage vans to Bangladesh Railways.

She continued that a total of 143 new trains have been launched on various routes alongside development and modernisation of signaling systems in 134 stations.

The head of the government said they have taken initiative to procure 46 new broad gauge locomotives, 460 new broad gauge passenger carriages, 200 new meter gauge passenger carriages and 1,310 new wagons to increase rail speed, passenger service and quality of goods transportation.

"Within the next 3-4 years, the passenger and goods transportation capacity of Bangladesh Railway will be raised to international level and the quality of railway service will be improved," she hoped.

The prime minister has also urged the people to vote for her party's electoral symbol "Boat" to save the country from devastation by the BNP-Jamaat and give them another chance to serve the nation.

"I call upon you all to vote for the 'Boat' so that the Awami League can serve the people again. BNP-Jamaat will destroy the country and my party only can save the country from the devastation," she said.

She was addressing a grand rally at the newly constructed Kazi Abu Yusuf Stadium here, organised by the Faridpur District AL marking inauguration of the Dhaka-Mawa section of the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project. Earlier, the premier inaugurated the project at Mawa in Munshiganj.
 
"Today, I am giving you a gift, the Padma Rail Bridge after the Padma Bridge," she said.

The prime minister reached Bhanga from Mawa by crossing the mighty Padma River by a special train this afternoon after opening the Padma Rail Bridge in Mawa.

Describing the BNP as a party of looters, she said that the top leaders of BNP had been engaged in embezzling the money of orphans, money laundering and firearms trading and one of them (Tarique Rahman) left the country giving a bond of not doing politics while the Jamaat is involved in war crimes.

Sheikh Hasina alerted the countrymen against the bad element and stand beside the Awami League as this party has always been working to change the fate of the countrymen.

She said the 'Boat' has brought the country's independence, given the Padma Bridge, Padma Railway Bridge, built thousands miles of roads, schools, colleges and infrastructures and thus carried out the overall development of the country.

The nation has achieved the status of a developing country as per the 'Vision 2021' and Bangladesh will start emerging a developing country from 2026.

She said the world has now recognised Bangladesh as a role model of the development.

"It had been possible as the people of the country voted the Awami League to power time and again," she said.

"Staying beside the people in their needs" is the politics for the Awami League, she said, mentioning that her party leaders and activists rendered every sort of assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.