Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the win of the Awami League-led Grand Alliance in the 11th national election is another victory for the people of the country in December --the month of victory.
The prime minister came up with the remarks when political leaders as well as senior officials of civil and military administration greeted her at her office in the capital, marking reelection of her party with absolute majority in the national election.
Sheikh Hasina said the victory is nothing for her for personal gains, rather it is a great responsibility towards the country and its people.
The prime minister said she thinks her reelection is a great opportunity to serve the country and materialise the dreams of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through completing his unfinished tasks.
She also extended her greetings to the country's people on the occasion of the New Year.
The leaders and officials greeted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by presenting her bouquets.
The political leaders and government officials include Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Prime Minister's Advisers Dr Toufique-e Elahi Chowdhury and Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Najma Rahman, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary, Cabinet Secretary, Public Administration Secretary, the chiefs of the three services, the IGP, Prime Minister's Press Secretary and BGB and Rab Director Generals.
Prime minister's younger sister Sheikh Rehana and prime minister's daughter Saima Wazed Hossain were present on the occasion.
This is another victory in the month of victory: PM
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In the first parliament 45 years ago, none of the parties was recognised as official opposition due to their poor strength in the House.
The resounding victory of ruling Awami League-led alliance in Sunday's polls has diminished the scope for emergence of an official opposition in the new parliament.
The AL-led alliance together grabbed 288 seats out of 298 with the ruling party alone bagging 259 seats. The BNP-led alliance managed to secure only seven seats. [Election to Gaibandha-3 was rescheduled to January 27 following the death of a candidate and re-polling will take place in three centres in Brahmanbaria-2 on January 9.]
Against this backdrop, Jatiya Party may sit on the opposition bench in the new parliament to be formed with MPs-elect swearing in tomorrow.
The JP, a key component of the AL-led grand electoral alliance, emerged as the second largest party by obtaining 20 seats.
It needs at least five more to get official recognition as the opposition, according to the verbal directive given by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during a debate in the first parliament on April 12, 1973.
In the first parliamentary election held in 1973, the AL won 293 seats. The opposition parties -- Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Jatiya League, National Awami Party and others obtained only seven seats.
They extended their support to Jatiya League leader Ataur Rahman Khan and demanded that he be recognised as the leader of the opposition.
During the debate over recognition as opposition, Bangabandhu said a party could not be recognised as opposition if it did not have at least 25 MPs.
If any group has less than 25 MPs and at least 10 MPs, it can be termed a parliamentary group, not a parliamentary party, said Bangabandhu.
"The speech delivered by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the only directive," wrote Khandaker Abdul Haq in his book "Parliamentary Practice and Procedure" published by the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat in 2001.
"His directive has been derived from experiences of the Pakistan National Assembly and East Pakistan Provincial Assembly and it is consistent with the parliamentary culture of India and this sub-continent," wrote Haq, who was a senior official at the Parliament Secretariat.
If Bangabandhu's directive is taken into consideration, JP would need five more seats to qualify to become the opposition party in the new parliament. If JP is not the official opposition, none of its MPs could be the leader of the opposition.
The JP became the main opposition in the current parliament formed through the 2014 election, which the BNP-led alliance boycotted. It won 34 seats and its senior leader Raushan Ershad was recognised as the leader of the opposition with a status of a minister. Three JP MPs were also made ministers.
Their dual role has been criticised. The party could not play its due role as the main opposition in parliament in the last five years.
JP Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga yesterday said his party would hold a joint meeting of the party's presidium members and MPs-elect today to decide whether it would join the government or sit on the opposition bench.
"We will also discuss it with the grand alliance," he said at a discussion at the party's Banani office.
President Abdul Hamid has invited Awami League President Sheikh Hasina to form government as she has gained the confidence of the majority of the members of the Parliament.
The invitation came after the current Premier Sheikh Hasina went to meet him at the Bangabhaban this afternoon, said Press Secretary to the president Joynal Abedin.
Earlier, Sheikh Hasina was unanimously elected chief of the Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) for the 11th Jatiya Sangsad during the first session of ALPP this afternoon.
THE ELECTION RESULT
The Awami League-led Grand Alliance secured a landslide victory in the national election held on Sunday, December 30, winning in 288 out of 300 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today laid the foundation stone of a 4.8km double-line dual-gauge Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge -- aimed at boosting rail communication between the capital and western zones of the railway.
Once constructed, the dedicated dual-gauge double-track railway bridge over the Jamuna River, which will be built some 300 metres upstream of the Bangabandhu Bridge that has a single rail line, would be the largest dedicated rail bridge in the country.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone virtually from her official residence Gono Bhaban.
Bangladesh Railway, along with the consultant organisations -- Oriental Consultants Global Company Limited and Chodai Company Limited of Japan and Development Design Consultants Limited of Bangladesh in association with ACE Consultants Limited of Bangladesh -- have already completed a detailed design of the railway bridge.
The main bridge will be constructed in two phases. Two separate agreements have already been signed with Obayashi-TOA-JFE, Japan and IHI-SMCC JV, Japan for eastern and western parts of civil works respectively.
A joint venture of Obayashi Corporation, TOA Corporation and JFE would construct the eastern part of the bridge at a cost of Tk 6,801 crore, while another joint venture of the IHI and SMCC will work on the western part which will cost Tk 6,148 crore.
As per the agreements, land was handed over to both contractors in July this year.
The main project operations include the construction of a 4.8km long dual-gauge double-track bridge, construction of a 7.6km long double-line railway approach embankment, erection of 30.73km dual-gauge railway track, construction of 16 railway approach viaducts, minor bridges and culverts, renovation and remodeling of Bangabandhu Bridge East and Bangabandhu Bridge West stations and yards.
The new bridge will be able to run trains at a speed of 120 kmph on broad gauge line and 100 kmph on metre gauge track. With the construction of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge, 88 trains will be able to run.
The project is scheduled to be completed by 2025.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of the historic March 7.
The prime minister placed wreaths at the portrait of the Father of the Nation in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital at 7:00am.
She first laid a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu as the prime minister. After placing the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of independence.
At that time, the younger daughter of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Rehana, joined the prime minister.
Munajat was offered seeking the eternal peace of the great leader, his martyred family members, and millions of martyrs who made their supreme sacrifice for the country.
On this day in 1971, Bangabandhu through his fiery and soulful address made a clarion call to the people to fight against the Pakistani rulers to achieve long-cherished independence.
Before a rally of a million of freedom-loving people at the then Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on March 7 in 1971, Bangabandhu firmly declared, "the struggle this time is for our freedom, the struggle this time is for our independence".
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the government is working to establish a rail network across the country for providing transportation to people and goods at a cheaper rate.
"There will be a rail line from Dhaka to Chattogram, Chattogram to Cox's Bazar and Ghundum. We'll build the Railways stronger and we have plans," she said.
The Prime Minister said this while laying the foundation stone of the 4.8km long double-line dual-gauge Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge over the river Jamuna-- aimed at increasing the rail communication between the capital and Western zone of the Railway.
She said that the government will set up a rail line from Dhaka to Payra Port via Barishal and Patuakhali.
"We'll start a feasibility study, we've taken initiative in that regard," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said that after assuming power, the government has done a massive expansion in the railway sector through various steps including procuring new locomotives and compartments.
"Now, Railways are giving service to the people, contributing especially in carrying goods. Above all, during the COVID-19, Railways is giving the highest service to the people," she said.
Recalling the suicidal decision of the BNP government to strangle the railway sector, the Prime Minister said that the government again revived the sector through various time-befitting decisions.
She said that the government is developing and modernising the communication network of the whole country apart from diversifying it so that it could contribute a lot in enhancing the socio-economic condition of the people.
She mentioned that the government is implementing various massive programmes for the overall development of water, rail and airways.
Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan, Ambassador of Japan Ito Naoki and Railways secretary Md Selim Reza also spoke at the programme.
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