BANGLADESH NEWS
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused the media on Saturday of carrying 'false stories' and claimed the media are now enjoying full freedom in the country.
“We (Awami League government) don’t prevent them (media), and they are enjoying full freedom,” she said referring oppression carried on journalists during the past BNP-Jamaat alliance rule.
Hasina, also the president of the Awami League, was exchanging views with the grassroots level leaders and workers of Kurigram of her party at her official residence Gono Bhaban.
AL General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, presidium members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Yusuf Hossain Humayun, Textiles and Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, AL Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif were also present.
Mentioning the oppression carried out by BNP on the country’s people, including numerous AL leaders and activists, Hasina said 14 journalists were killed and some 1,800 injured during the BNP regime, UNB adds.
She, however, observed that the media often run stories against the government and in some cases carry false ones.
Hasina alleged that those who emerged from the pocket of military dictatorship could not work for the country as well as its people and said AL has much more passion and affection for the country’s people than any other parties.
Taking a shot at those who termed the country’s condition as bad despite various successes, the prime minister said they do not want the people of Bangladesh to lead a good and comfortable life.
The premier said there are also some people who do not want the country’s people live in peace in a democratic process. “They were busy taking different undue facilities from different governments and now there’s no end to their criticism.”
Mentioning that there had been no addition of power to the national grid during the seven-year tenure of BNP and the caretaker governments, she said her government has been able to raise the power production to 5,400 MW by 2011, higher than what was mentioned in the party’s election manifesto.
She also hoped that the power production will increase in the later part of current year and in the upcoming years.
During the 2001-2006 regime of BNP, the premier alleged, Bangladesh had turned into a country of killing and bombing. “Not a single day passed without the incident of bombing at that time.”
She said they (opposition) now have no peace in their mind as there is no extremism, terrorism and ‘Bangla Bhai’ in the country.
“We’ve curbed terrorism and extremism in the country with an iron hand as well as freed the country from this stigma,” she said adding that Bangladesh is now considered as a model of potentialities in the world.
The prime minister mentioned that the country has been able to maintain its economic stability in South Asia and implement 93 percent of the Annual Development Programme (ADP), a success no government could achieve in the past.
Hasina said export earnings have increased so as the export of manpower and remittance earnings since this government assumed power. “The foreign currency reserves also increased to $10 billion dollars.”
The prime minister said her government has ensured the voting rights of people alongside their other basic rights, and restored the spirit of the Liberation War through the 15th amendment of the constitution.
Urging her party leaders and activists to project the development activities of the government among the common people, she said, “Whenever AL assumes power, the country’s people get something.”
Hasina reaffirmed her commitment to reach the benefits of independence to the common people and build a hunger- and poverty-free ‘Sonar Bangla’ by making it a middle-income country by 2021 when Bangladesh will be observing its golden jubilee of independence.
Listing various development activities taken by her government, Hasina mentioned that her government has been able to reduce the child and maternal mortality rates, ensure food security, establish the rule of law, gave subsidy to agriculture apart from doubling agricultural production, improving the standard of education and healthcare services, establishing union information centres with internet facilities.
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