Khaliajuri, Netrakona: Coming down heavily on the BNP for its destructive politics, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina here today said this party indulges in plundering when comes to power and burns people to death when goes to the opposition.

‘The BNP could not develop the country. It comes to power for looting and its only work is to cause harm to the people. What type of politics it is!,’ she said, reports BSS.

The prime minister was addressing a public rally at Khaliajuri Degree College ground here this morning after distributing rice and cash money among the flashflood-hit people of the upazila.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League chief, said the BNP showed its failure in every sector of the country when it was in power.

She said the Awami League government handed over the power after 2001 elections making the country self-reliant in food.

‘But it was BNP that turned Bangladesh into a food-deficit country again,’ she added.

She said the Awami League government raised the electricity production while the BNP reduced it.

‘We’ve established community clinics, but the BNP closed down the clinics out of political vengeance’ she said, adding that the BNP became failure in every sector in this way.

Referring to the rampage and atrocities unleashed by the BNP-Jamaat, the Prime Minister said they killed 231 innocent people and crippled over 3,224 others through arson attacks in the name of the movement in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

‘The BNP-Jamaat killed 55 drivers and helpers and 24 members of law enforcement agencies. They also torched 582 primary schools and 70 government offices alongside buses, trains, CNGs (auto-rickshaw) and launches,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the BNP government came to power with an aim to eliminate the Awami League for ever, make the people penniless and change the country’s history.

‘The BNP leaders and workers amassed wealth through looting and corruption, and siphoned off money abroad,’ she said.

The Prime Minister said the people of Netrakona didn’t forget the terrorist and militant activities of BNP leader and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar .

‘His only work was looting, corruption, terrorism, militancy and torturing people’ she said, adding that Babar had inflicted inhuman repression on the people in his area at the directive of Khaleda Zia.

Sheikh Hasina said 12 leaders of Awami League and its associate bodies were killed by the BNP terrorists in Netrakona from 2001 to 2006. ‘The BNP-Jamaat cadres vandalised and torched houses and business establishments of the Awami League leaders and workers,’ she said.

‘Even the minority people and journalists of Netrakona were not spared from the BNP atrocities,’ she added.

The prime minister said there won’t be any crisis of food in the country despite the flashflood in northeastern districts of the country.

‘I won’t tolerate it, if a single person suffers for want of food,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina said her government has ensured food security. ‘We’ve an adequate stock of food. As the crops were damaged in floods, we will bring food from abroad, if needed... There won’t be any crisis of food,’ she said.

The Prime Minister said the government has been distributing relief goods among the flood-hit people and it will continue.

‘I do politics for the common people and I’m the daughter of the Father of the Nation ... I can assure that none will be without food in the country,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the disaster management and relief ministry is distributing VGF and VGD rice among the flood-hit people, while the food ministry is giving per kg rice at Taka 10 apart from the OMS programme.

The Prime Minister said the agriculture ministry is distributing agri inputs like fertilizers and seeds among the farmers to overcome their losses.

Seeking doa from the people to serve the country and countrymen, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh Awami League remains beside the people and would also stay with them in future.

She called upon the people to make the Awami League victorious in the next elections to maintain the continuity of government. ‘You voted Awami League in the last elections. Hence, the country is witnessing development as there is continuity of the government,’ she said.

The Prime Minister also urged the cross section of people including teachers, religious leaders, guardians and students to remain alert so that the children don’t get involved with terrorism, militancy and drugs.

Reiterating her determination to establish Bangladesh as a hunger and poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina said she is ready to make any sacrifice for achieving the goal.

Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Water R sources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Food Minister Quamrul Islam and local parliament member Rebeka Momin also spoke on the occasion while AL Joint Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif and Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports Arif Khan Joy were present, among others.

Later, the Prime Minister went to Ballavpur village under Khaliajuri upazila by a speed boat and distributed rice and cash money among the flood-stricken people there.

After returning from Ballavpur village, Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with public representatives, government officials and the local elite at Khaliajuri Upazila Health Complex.

At the meeting, the Prime Minister was apprised that there is no crisis of food in the upazila despite the flashflood and the law and order situation is good in the upazila.

Sheikh Hasina directed the officials concerned to introduce water buses and establish residential schools so that study of the children of the haor area is not hampered in any way.

She also directed the officials to take steps for dredging the rivers and canals of the haor areas to keep normal flow of water.