Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday alleged that the secret motive of some foreign countries is to hinder the progress of Bangladesh and they are taking interest in the upcoming election of the country to use the Bay of Bengal.

“They want to create a (unstable) situation in this country on different pleas of election, democracy and different other names so that they can use the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The purpose of some of them is to attack different countries in this region and destroy the countries,” she said, without mentioning the name of any country.

The premier was addressing a memorial meeting arranged by Bangladesh Awami League (AL) here on the occasion of the National Mourning Day-2023.

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Hasina, also the AL President, chaired the commemorative event held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

She said their purpose is neither (arrangement of) an election nor democracy. “They want to create obstacles on the development journey of Bangladesh. It is reality,” she added.

The PM said her government strengthened the foundation of democracy and ensured the voting rights of the people, uplifted the socio-economic condition of the people, brought down the poverty rate to 18.6 percent from 41 percent and extreme poverty rate to 5.7 percent from 25 percent.

She said the Bay of Bengal is a very important place in terms of geographical location as it is in the Indian Ocean which is the safest and undisputed waterway for international goods transportation. So, they want to create a situation in this country on the plea of election, democracy and different other names so that they can use the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, she said.

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Criticizing the local supporters of the foreign forces, Sheikh Hasina said some clowns are here in the country who speaks to their tune not understanding and realizing this reality. “They (local clowns) are doing these in many ways just for some pennies,” she said.

The premier asked the people of Bangladesh to remain vigilant in this regard. “I believe that the countries located in the Indian Ocean region remain conscious enough in this regard,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina, also the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, said she restored peace in Chittagong Hill Tracts after coming to power in 1996, but various efforts are there to break peace in this area.

She said the efforts are to play games with this region by removing her from power and installing their purchased slaves who lick their feet.

“I would like to tell the country’s people who are patriots to be conscious in this regard,” she said.

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The PM said she never thinks of coming to power by causing harm to the people of Bangladesh. “I am not greedy for power nor was my father.  I would not come to power selling the interest of the country and handing over the resources of the country’s people to others,” she said.

Blasting the countries that gave shelter to the killers of Bangabandhu, Hasina said they are now speaking about the human rights and election of Bangladesh.

She questioned why they didn’t say anything about election when torture was unleashed on AL leaders and activists after the 2001 general election, where their electoral spirit was after the 1996, 15 February lopsided election, why their concern was not seen after the elections held during the regimes of HM Ershad and Ziaur Rahman.

“They suddenly became very eager for election this time.... their men started coming (to Bangladesh) one after another.  Why? What is the reason? Now BNP who killed so many people and was involved in the killing of the Father of the Nation is now the apple of their eyes,” she said.

The PM said BNP carried out such massive destruction to this country. Now they (foreigners) are talking about them. “Now we’ve to sit with them and talk to them. We know they (BNP) are killers, but we tolerated many things just for fulfilling the dream of my father and changing the fate of the people of this country,” she said.

Noting that the BNP’s two top leaders are convicted, she said the opposition party actually doesn’t want an election, rather they want to play with the fate of the people.

She said BNP knows that they would never come to power through an election and won’t get votes of the people. “But they are engaged in various conspiracies so that the election would be questionable and the election couldn’t be held,” she alleged.

The AL president in a firm voice said she won’t allow anyone to play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people as long as she remains alive.

Not naming Dr Mohammad Yunus,  Hasina termed him a black sheep for engaging in the process of the withdrawal of the World Bank’s fund from the Padma Bridge project.

She said he is an interest-monger, greedy for the post of Managing Director (of Grameen Bank) and he engulfed the money of workers, evaded taxes, sucked the blood of the poor by realizing high interest (of microcredits) from them and opened business in foreign lands siphoning money off the country.

Talking about the August 15 carnage,  Hasina said no women and children had not been killed even in the Karbala tragedy, but women and children were not spared in the August 15 carnage.

Noting that her father dedicated his entire life for the people of the country, she said Bangabandhu made Bangladesh independent and rebuilt the war-ravaged country.

“When Bangladesh started the journey on the development trajectory, they struck this most horrible blow,” she said.

One-minute silence was observed to pay tribute to Bangabandhu, his family members and other martyrs of the dreadful night of 15 August 1975.

AL general secretary Obaidul Quader delivered the introductory speech, while AL advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu, its presidium members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Qamrul Islam and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, its joint general secretary Dipu Moni, organising secretary SM Kamal Hossain, central working committee member Tarana Halim, AL Dhaka south city unit general secretary Humayun Kabir and AL Dhaka north city unit general secretary SM Mannan Kachi spoke on the occasion.

AL publicity and publication secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap and his deputy Syed Abdul Awal Shamim jointly moderated the event