Independents there to make polls participatory: PM

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina today said aspirants from her party are running in the January 7 parliamentary elections to help make the vote participatory and peaceful.

She said this while addressing six public rallies simultaneously via video conference from the AL political office in Dhaka's Tejgaon.

Prime Minister Hasina explained why Awami League opened the electoral contest to the party's aspirants who failed to get the party's tickets this time.

"The reason behind this is that we want people's participation in the election and they can cast their votes peacefully," she said.

She asked all candidates, including AL candidates and independents, to go door to door seeking votes.

"Those who will win people's votes will be the MPs," she said.

The rallies were held at the Public Library ground in Kushtia, Wazir Ali School and College ground in Jhenaidah, Satkhira Government High School in Satkhira, Zilla Stadium in Netrokona, and Sheikh Russell Stadium in Rangamati, as well as Bamna and Patharghata upazilas in Barguna districts.

She once again said that she wanted the election to be held in a peaceful manner.

She said that her party wants to sustain the country's development momentum for the welfare of the people.

Hasina once again slammed the opposition BNP which is boycotting the next month's elections.

"BNP does not come to election but in the name of resisting it they have unleashed arson terrorism like that of 2013 and 2014," she said.

Photo: PID

In this connection, she mentioned the recent incidents of train fires and the uprooting of tracks.

She questioned the leadership of BNP as Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman were both convicted in various cases, including corruption.

She said that although Khaleda is very sick, her son Tarique never came to visit her.

If he has so much courage, let him come to the country, she said adding that then the people of Bangladesh will avenge the killings of the innocents.

BNP is a terrorist party while Jamaat is the party of war criminals, she said.

"We have to keep the country free from war criminals and terrorists in order to continue the trend of development."

Hasina highlighted the successes of the successive Awami League governments since 2009.

As Awami League has been in power since 2009, the country has changed a lot in the last 15 years, she said.

"We have attained recognition as a developing nation. We will have to advance further," she said.

She said that the election will be fair, and people will choose their desired candidates through election, and democracy will be unhindered.