BNP, JOF took part in polls with evil intention: PM

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina said that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party had an evil intention from the very beginning to render the last general election questionable despite their participation in the polls.
‘Though BNP had taken part in the elections, they always had intended to render the polls questionable as their popularity had dropped to the lowest level and they had no chance to win the electoral race,’ she said.
The prime minister said these while addressing a reception accorded to her by the expatriate Bangladeshi nationals in Munich, Germany on Thursday night.
The prime minister, in her maiden overseas visit after assuming office last month for the fourth time, arrived in Munich on Thursday to attend a security conference.
Pointing out the reasons behind BNP’s defeat of in the last general election, the prime minister said that BNP won only 28 seats in the 2008 general election and no one had raised any question about the acceptance of that election.
‘How do they expect better results than 2008 even after committing mayhem in the name of political movement over the last few years?’ she said adding that people had not forgotten BNP’s terrorist activities which it unleashed across the country in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
BNP was not sincere about winning the elections as it had sensed it’s defeat, which was the reality, she said.
‘Khaleda Zia is convicted for embezzling orphans’ fund and Tarique Zia is convicted for smuggling 10truck arms and ammunition as well as for a grenade attack. The big question is why would people vote for them in the elections.’ she said.
BNP fielded many Jamaat-e-Islami leaders by lending them sheaf or paddy, BNP’s electoral symbol, which was also a major cause for losing public support in the elections, Sheikh Hasina said.
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, president of All European Awami League Anil Dasgupta and president of United Kingdom unit of Awami League Sultan Mahmud Sharif also spoke on the occasion conducted by Bangladesh ambassador in Germany Imteaz Ahmed.
Leaders of different chapters of Awami League in European countries greeted the prime minister by presenting her with bouquets.
Sheikh Hasina said that BNP could not make it clear to the people who would be their prime minister and who would form the government if they won the elections.
Hasina also blamed BNP’s nomination trade as one of the major reason for their defeat in the elections saying that BNP had given nomination to at least three or more persons in every constituency.
BNP was more critical about Awami League in the election campaign instead of making people aware of their future plans. 
The people of Bangladesh know what Awami League had done for them, the prime minister said.
During the tenure of Awami League, people’s monthly income had increased and they were living in peace, she said. 
Their living standard was improving every day and they could understand that, she added.
The prime minister said, ‘We have given importance on our future plan, focusing on how we want to see our country in future. Our past development works are very much visible to the people and we have furnished our future plans chalked out in our election manifesto,’ she said.
Awami League had earned independence and established the people’s right to speak in their mother tongue, the prime minister said, adding Bangladesh would go ahead and no one would be able to dominate it as Awami League was now working for economic emancipation of the country.
BNP and their ally Jatiya Okiyo Front were trying to render the December-30 elections questionable and they filed cases at seven places, the prime minister said.
She said that they could file cases with the election tribunal as per the election law and Awami had no objection to it.
‘The corruption of BNP leaders is being exposed slowly by US intelligence and Canada and their documents are the main evidences of the lawsuits filed against Khaleda Zia and her son,’ she said.
Hasina said, ‘Expatriate Bangladeshis were always with us in all movements and helped us in the struggle to establish political rights and country’s economic progress.’
She also recalled the role of expatriates in the protest against the killing of founder president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A large number of Awami League leaders and workers from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, UK, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Scotland, Romania, Bulgaria, America, Switzerland as well as Germany arrived in Munich to greet the prime minister.
The prime minister extended her gratitude to the expatriates for their dedicated service to brighten the positive image of Bangladesh abroad and build up positive opinion in country’s interests.
Hasina said that people of every class and section cast their vote spontaneously for Awami League in the last general election that led the party to its landslide victory.
Rural and urban people, the business community, youngsters and women cast their vote for Awami League to take the country forward towards prosperity.
People had the expectation that the country would gain development if Awami League remained in power and everybody would enjoy the benefits of the development, she said.
About BNP’s participation in the last polls under the banner of Oikyo Front, the prime minister said that as the head of the government, she sat with as many as 70 political parties for dialogue.
The prime minister said that the highest number of political parties of the country took part in the elections and over 80 per cent of the voters had exercised their franchise.
Hasina said that people didn’t cast their vote for BNP as their role in unbridled corruption had been exposed. 
Sheikh Hasina said that military rulers after 1975 could give the people nothing except for the murders of Awami League leaders and workers, coups in the armed forces, misrule, corruption, money laundering and nepotism.
Pointing out the unbridled corruption of BNP leaders during their rule, the prime minister said that it was not the Awami League government but the US intelligence which unearthed their corruption.
It was not also Awami League, but THE caretaker government who lodged lawsuits against Khaleda Zia on charge of corruption. Most of the main actors of the past caretaker government were loyal to BNP, she said.
The prime minister thanked the expatriates who were in the country during election time to take part in the campaign in favour of Awami League candidates, she said.
Hasina urged the expatriate nationals to come forward with investment in the special economic zones saying there would be special offers for the expatriates.
 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net