PM urges people to remain alert against confusion over referendum, July Charter

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today, Monday, urged the country’s people to remain alert against spreading confusion and creating disorder in the country over the referendum and the July Charter, saying that some individuals and political parties are trying to serve their own political interests over the issue.

“Some individuals and political parties are now trying to divert the referendum in a different direction and creating disorder by misleading the country’s people,” he said.

The prime minister added: “Everyone must remain alert about those who are trying to divert the verdict of the referendum in a different direction and representing the July Charter in a wrong way for their own political interests”.

Tarique Rahman, also Chairman of ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), made the remarks while addressing a brief gathering this noon after launching the re-excavation work of the historic Ulashi Canal in Sharsha upazila here.

He said if they are succeed to create chaos in the country for their own political gain, the government’s all the programmes undertaken for the people such as Family Card for women, Farmer Card for farmers, canal excavation programmes, initiatives to create employment for unemployed youths, reopening closed mills and factories, programmes to deliver healthcare services to villages, and tree plantation programmes will be disrupted.

He said the people themselves must play a responsible role so that the country’s progress is not hindered.  

The Prime Minister said, “The July Charter signed by political parties will be fully implemented step by step.”

Reminding about the mass uprising of 5 August, Tarique Rahman said, “The people have already proven that they do not accept any attempt to ignore their will. Just as the people gave an appropriate response on 5 August, they will respond in the same way in the future if anyone tries to play with their fate.”

Highlighting various development initiatives of the government, he said, “If these programmes are implemented successfully, positive changes will come in the lives of the country’s people.”

The Prime Minister called upon the countrymen to turn their 20 crore hands into 40 crore to build the country. 

“Today we must take an oath. The 40 crore hands of 20 crore people cannot remain idle. These 40 crore hands must be engaged in building the country and changing the fate of its people,” he said.

Tarique Rahman said, “In front of our eyes, many countries in the world have changed their fate over the past 50 years. The condition of Singapore in 1971 was worse than ours, and where have they reached in 50 years? If they can do it, why can’t we? InShAllah, we can too. The people of this country can do it.”

Noting that BNP does politics for changing the fate of the people, he said, “We have seen since independence that at different times they tried to create unrest, confusion and disorder in the country whenever BNP took programmes for changing the fate of the people.”

“We have seen how 173 days of hartal were enforced in the name of movement. You remember how attempts were made to destroy the country’s economy for 173 days. Even now that ghost has creeped up on someone else. Brothers and sisters, you must remain alert in this regard,” the prime minister said.

Stating that Bangladesh is the last destination for the leaders and activists of BNP, Tarique Rahman said, “We who belong to Shaheed Zia’s party, we who are soldiers of Begum Khaleda Zia, believe that this country is our first and last destination. That is why we say, ‘Prothom Bangladesh, Amar Shesh Bangladesh’.”

Pointing finger to the Ulashi canal, he said there is no water in this canal because this canal has been closed, filled up and occupied in many places, depriving the people of the opportunity to get benefit from it. 

“Today, we have come to re-excavate this canal. Nearly 50 years ago, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman excavated this canal. And if we can re-excavate this nearly four-kilometer canal, people of this area will get water,” said the Prime Minister. 

If water comes to this canal through the re-excavation, he said, about 20,000 farmers will benefit directly while about 1,400 tonnes of additional crops will be produced and about 72,000 general people will benefit too.

After the re-excavation, the prime minister said, the government will plant about 3,000 trees along both sides of the canal.

Noting that out of about 20 crore population of Bangladesh, half are women, he said Begum Khaleda Zia made education free for women up to intermediate level.

The education for girls had earlier been made free up to the school level during Begum Zia’s first tenure and later extended to the intermediate level, said Tarique Rahman. 

“We want to take that programme further forward. We have decided that, InShAllah, we will make education for girls free up to the degree level. Not only that, we will arrange stipends for those girls who achieve good academic results,” he added.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain, Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee and State Minister Forhad Hossain Azad and State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam spoke at the function with State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit in the chair. 

Earlier, the Prime Minister formally inaugurated the Ulashi canal re-excavation programme by cutting soil with a spade around 11:55 am and planted a sapling on the bank of the canal.

The Prime Minister arrived at the canal excavation site around 11:42 am and unveiled the plaque of the re-excavation programme and offered a “Munajat” there.

On 1 November 1976, the then President Ziaur Rahman excavated the nearly 4-kilometer-long canal from Ulashi to Jadunathpur at Sharsha upazila in Jashore through voluntary labour, which is known as ‘Zia Khal’.

This canal is now being re-excavated by the Bangladesh Water Development Board.