BNP looking for other ways to assume power

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday that the BNP did not participate in the January 7 election out of fear of defeat and has been searching for other ways to assume power after being rejected by the people time and again.

“They know they’ve been boycotted by the people. That’s why they don’t want to take part in the election. Now, they’re searching for different ways to regain power by destroying the electoral process. They’re looking for dark paths straying from the path of light, which is election,” she said.

The prime minister made the remarks while addressing expatriate Awami League leaders and activists at the Gano Bhaban in the capital.

“They [BNP-Jamaat clique] are now demanding to scrap the election,” she said.

Referring to the 2008 election, the premier said the BNP-Jamaat alliance got only 30 seats while AL alone bagged 233 seats.

“Since then, they don’t want any elections. They’ve been torching buses, launches, and trains and burning people to death. The more they indulge in terrorism, the more the people reject them,” she said.

The premier said the victory of the Awami League in the election was a victory for the people and democracy as well.

“I will work as a public servant, not as a prime minister, to change the fate of the people as a daughter of the Father of the Nation,” she said.

“We will turn Bangladesh into a poverty-free prosperous nation by 2041…”

The prime minister recalled the contribution of the expatriates in each of the democratic and progressive movements and also in building the nation.

She said the expatriates played a great role in forming public opinion in favour of independent Bangladesh during the Liberation War in 1971.

“I thank you all, as the remittances you send to Bangladesh are the main driving force of our economy,” she said.

The premier also urged all Bangladeshi expats to take part in the universal pension scheme to secure their future.