Headless BNP wants to foil elections to create unusual situation: PM Hasina tells Khulna rally

Dismissing opposition BNP as headless Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the party seeks to create an unusual situation by foiling the upcoming national election.

"They know that they don't have any leadership. They are just a party without any head. One is absconding and another is in jail. That party does not want to hold any election. They just want to create an unnatural situation," she said.

The prime minister was addressing a grand rally organised by the ruling Awami League at Khulna Circuit House ground.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated 24 development projects, involving Tk2,593 crore, and laid foundation stones for another five schemes in Khulna. She unveiled the projects from the grand rally.

She said the national polls are upcoming and all have to remain vigilant during the voting.

"BNP-Jamaat knows that in the 2008 elections they got only 30 seats," she said.

She again warned that the hands that set fire to vehicles will be burnt in the same fire.

"Give them a good lesson so that no one dares harm any one of the country. These kinds of incidents must not be allowed to happen again," she said.

She asked the Awami League and its associate bodies to protect the people of the country along with the law enforcement agencies.

The PM said whenever the Awami League comes to power the country gets development and the people get welfare.

"It is very much regretful that the BNP is the synonym of terrorism. The only task of BNP-Jamaat is to kill people through arson attacks," she said.

In this connection she mentioned the incidents of 28 October when, she said, BNP-Jamaat terrorists mercilessly beat a policeman to death.

She said BNP-Jamaat terrorists injured 45 policemen and attacked journalists who went there to cover their programmes.

"They attacked hospitals like the Israeli forces in Gaza. They also vandalised ambulances. I do not think that they have a little bit of humanity," she said.

She mentioned that the only virtue of BNP-Jamaat is to kill people.

She said the government has already declared to award Tk20,000 for nabbing arson terrorists and handing them to the law enforcing agencies.

"We will not spare anyone who is involved in killing people through arson attacks," she said.

She said continuous democratic process is helping Bangladesh gain massive development, visible to all.

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, requested all to cast their votes for her party and allow it to serve the country and its people and continue the country's development.

Regarding unrest in the RMG sector, the prime minister said given the inflation, the salary of government employees has been increased by only 5%, but the wages of garment workers jumped by 56%.

"Why should there be complaints? Nineteen factories have been damaged. Who are doing it?  Who are among them? It is necessary to find out," she said.

PM Hasina again described how her government increased the monthly wage of garment workers from Tk800 in 1996 to Tk1,600.

"But, during the regime of the BNP, Khaleda Zia didn't hike their wage by a single taka," she said.

She said the minimum wage of RMG workers has been fixed at Tk12,500 now.

She also said after taking over office in 2009 her government increased it to Tk3,200 from Tk1,600, then Tk5,200 from Tk3,200 and Tk8,200 from Tk5,200.

"Although the RMG sector is a private sector, the government has hiked their wage through discussion with the owners," she said.

Regarding the introduction of the Universal Pension Scheme, she urged all to register for it, saying it is a protection for all.

Khulna Awami League president and Khulna City Corporation Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque presided over the rally.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and party leaders Sheikh Helal Uddin, Sheikh Salahuddin Jewel and Sheikh Sharhan Naser Tonmoy also spoke