Check power grab thru' backdoor

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called upon all to remain alert so that none can come to power in undemocratic way and play ducks and drakes with people's voting rights.
She also said her government has ensured empowerment and democratic and fundamental rights of people by bringing an amendment to the constitution.
Hasina made the remarks when leaders of Janmashtami Udjapan Parishad and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad called on her at her official residence yesterday.
The premier said, "We want every person of the country enjoy his or her basic rights and perform religious rites without any trouble."
"A vested quarter is trying to halt the trial of perpetrators of crimes against humanity and the persons who siphoned off crores of taka abroad," she told the parishad leaders.
Mentioning the post-2001 election atrocities, the premier said thousands of members of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other communities were brutally tortured by the cadres of BNP-Jamaat after the polls.
In this connection, she called upon all to remain alert so that the "dark chapter" does not reoccur in the country.
Referring to steps taken by her government for maintaining communal harmony in the country, Hasina said all religious festivals, including Eid and Puja, are being celebrated peacefully and in a festive mood.
Mentioning the message of Lord Krishna "punishing the evil and fostering the good", the premier said her government has been working with this motto to establish peace in the society.
She said the aim of her government is to build a peaceful Bangladesh in South Asia. "We want to build a hunger and poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt of by Bangabandhu," Hasina told the leaders.
Highlighting various steps for the development of the Hindu community, the premier said her government has started the work on implementing the Vested Property Return Act.
"The previous Awami League government enacted the law and the present government has begun work on executing it," she said.
Hasina said her government has ensured the rights of the Harijans and Dalits. "We have taken steps to reconstruct the dilapidated quarters of the Harijans and Dalits."
The premier listed her government's tremendous successes in the fields of agriculture, food security, education, economy and power and energy.
She also greeted the people of Hindu community on the occasion of Janmashtami.
State Minister for Religious Affairs Shajahan Mian, President of Hindu, Bouddha, Christian Oikya Parishad Maj Gen (retd) CR Dutta, among others, also spoke on the occasion.