None can now disrupt Bangladesh’s progress: PM Hasina tells rally

Bangladesh Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday declared from now on none can hinder the advancement of the country as her party is resuming power again following its landslide victory in the January-7 general election.

“Since Awami League can come to power again, none can disrupt the current progress of Bangladesh anymore,” she said while addressing a rally at historic Suhrawardy Udyan in the city.

Bangladesh Awami League arranged the rally in observance of the historic homecoming day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after the 1971 Liberation War.

 Hasina, who presided over the programme, said many wanted to stop this election, but failed.

“The voter turnout is 41.8 percent in this election even after there were attempts to prevent the voters from casting their votes, which is a very big matter, " she said, adding that a particular party was trying to resist the election when AL and its like-minded parties joined it.

She said none can question the 12th parliamentary election as it was held in fair, free and neutral manners.

“None can say that the votes were cast at night instead of daytime in this election. None has the power to say anything that the votes were rigged because the election was held in very transparent, free and neutral manners,” she said.

.AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, its presidium members Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Qamrul Islam, among others, spoke at the rally.

Obaidul Quader on AL’s behalf greeted Sheikh Hasina with flowers as she is going to be the five-time prime minister through AL’s landslide victory in the January-7 general election.

On January 10, 1972 Bangabandhu, the architect of Bangladesh returned to independent Bangladesh via London and New Delhi after 290 days of confinement in Pakistan jail during the country’s Liberation War.