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Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina today sought vote for her party’s electoral symbol ‘Boat’ in the next general election and give them another chance to serve the people.
“People have got country’s independence by casting vote for the boat… the country’s development happens only when Awami League remains in power. Fortunes of the people have changed, electricity has reached every house and Bangladesh is marching ahead as the Awami League is in power,” she said.
She was addressing the AL’s divisional grand rally at Rangpur Zilla School here that turned into a human sea as the venue and its surrounding areas were full to the brim with participation of tens of thousands of people from all strata, including leaders and activists of the Awami League and its associate bodies.
The mammoth rally was organised by Rangpur District and City Awami League.
Sheikh Hasina said she considered the people of Bangladesh as her near and dear ones after losing her father, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, mother and brothers on August 15, 1975.
“If required, I am ready to sacrifice my life like my father to change the fate of the countrymen,” she said.
At the rally, she also inaugurated 27 newly constructed development projects and laid foundation stones of five other schemes involving over Tk 2000 crore.
The premier reached the venue around 3:25 in the afternoon.
She earlier arrived at Rangpur cantonment helipad by a helicopter at 01:13pm from where she was escorted to the Rangpur Circuit House where she held a meeting with Rangpur divisional government officials.
AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, AL Central Committee Treasurer HN Ashiqur Rahman, Organising Secretary Abu Saeed Al Mahmud Swapan and Rangpur district AL Convener AKM Sayadat Hossain Bokul, among others, spoke at the rally.
Rangpur City AL Convener Dr Delwar Hossain presided over the meeting.
Senior leaders of the Awami League were also present on the dais.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has been working to change the fate of the masses, including farmers, labourers and hard working people, since assuming office.
“We have been able to reduce the poverty and make Bangladesh free from hunger,” she said, adding that Bangladesh is now being recognised as a model for development in the world due to her government’s massive works to ensure overall socio-economic advancement of the country.
“Bangladesh has changed a lot in every aspect particularly in socio-economic advancement in the last 14 and a half years,” she said.
In this connection, the premier said her government has given a budget of Taka 7,61,785 crore for the FY 2023-24 while the BNP government’s last budget was of Taka 61,000 crore.
She said her government has given a development budget of Taka 2 lakh crore while it was only Taka 21,000 crore during the BNP tenure.
The Prime Minister said her government has transformed Bangladesh into a digital and developing country and has been working to make it a smart and developed country by 2041.
“Awami League has proved time and again that the fortune of the countrymen changed when they voted the party to power,” she said.
On the contrary, she said the BNP makes their fortunes by committing unbridled corruption when it assumes power and carries out arson terrorism and destruction while in opposition.
“They (BNP) did nothing for the welfare of the people,” she said.