Dhaka Bureau: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the people of this country did not have real democracy or democratic rights before Awami League came to power. After the election of 2008 in Bangladesh, after the Awami League came to power, the democratic trend continued in this country until 2022.
The Prime Minister said this at the end of the Bangladesh Awami League Advisory Council meeting at Ganobhaban on Saturday (November 18) morning. Earlier, the Prime Minister paid a courtesy call on the Saudi ambassador appointed in Dhaka, Isa bin Yusuf Al Dahilan.
The Prime Minister said that Bangladesh has improved today because the democratic trend continues. Otherwise there would not have been so much progress. We have achieved considerable success in all areas starting from food production. In our time, all parties are getting a chance to make their party. We have provided that arrangement.
He also said that since Awami League came to government, we started the democratic process. As much transparency and accountability has been ensured in the election, it is the result of our movement and struggle. Since BNP formed the government with Jamaat, murder, murder, militancy, corruption, money laundering – there is no misdeed that they have not committed in the country.
Sheikh Hasina said, if anyone remembers the 2001 elections or the by-elections of Magura, Dhaka-10, then what happened in the name of elections during the tenure of BNP is enough. The talk was 10 Hondas, 20 gangsters, the election was cold. There were various misdemeanors starting from sealing the ballot box. For that we have transparent voter bakshow, voter list with pictures; Because BNP had registered 1 crore 23 lakh fake voters for election in 2006. Of course, their mouths now speak of democracy. They are agitating for the establishment of democracy.
He also said that suddenly some people have excelled, there is a lot of talk about reserves. During Corona, we did not import, no one could go abroad, there were no expenses. The most important thing is that those who are in the diaspora… Since no one could go abroad, there was no hundi business, absolutely all the money came from the government, which resulted in our good fund. Whereas during the period of BNP from ’91 to ’96 when BNP was in power, the reserve was only 2.9 billion US dollars. That would not have been enough to import food for 3 months.
The Prime Minister said, when I came to the government. Then we have no initiative. Since then we started increasing the reserve. Since then we have increased the reserve. When we came in 2008, it was not more than 5 billion. We were able to raise that from 5 to 48 billion. Apart from that, Bangladesh has never defaulted on our loans. We repay the loan on time.
