Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today reiterated her call to the countrymen not to allow anyone to play duck and drake with the fate of the Bangalee nation.
“I urge the countrymen not to let anyone to play duck and drake with the Banglee Nation’s fate,” she said while inaugurating the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project’s Dhaka-Bhanga section as chief guest unveiling a plaque at a civic rally here.
The premier said, “This country is ours; (we) attained independence in exchange for blood. Bangladesh will march forward in the world arena and stand with head high cherishing the ideology of the Father of the Nation.”
Mentioning that Bangladesh will be a smart country by 2041, she said, “We will build a smart population, smart economy, smart government, and smart society. It is our goal.”
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s younger daughter, Sheikh Rehana was present at the inaugural ceremony.
Echoing the Bangabandhu’s quote “No one could hold back Bangalee” that he delivered during his historic March 7 speech, the prime minister said, “No one will be able to hold back this Bangalee, and Bangalee (nation) will remain united.”
As Awami League (AL) remains in power, the country witnesses the neutral election, she said, citing the remarks of a section of people who are talking about free, fair and neutral elections.
“And the people who talk about elections, who cast AL out from power every day, they don’t want neutral elections as their birth took place in the hand of a person who grabbed power illegally,” she said, adding, “they didn’t come to power without vote rigging.”
She continued that the BNP-Jamaat led 20-party alliance got only 29 seats out of 300 seats in the 2008 election and since then they have been staying away from the elections.
She went on saying that apart from taking part in elections, they are engaging in playing with elections, arson terrorism, killing people and destruction.
Turning to the issue of Dr Muhammad Younus without mentioning his name, Sheikh Hasina, also the President of the ruling AL, said the World Bank stopped funding the Padma Bridge in favor of this person only for remaining him in the position of Managing Director, which he lost due to age limitation.
“I told that day, we will build the Padma Bridge with our own financing, and InshaAllah we have done it,” she added.
With Railways Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan in the chair, Secretary of the Ministry Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir delivered the welcome address.
Member of the Parliament from the local constituency (Munsiganj-2) Sagufta Yasmin Emily, Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen also spoke.
At the outset of the function, a video documentary on the Padma Bridge rail link project and other development works of Bangladesh Railway under the present government was screened.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Railways Ministry ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Kamrul Ahsan and Project Director Afzal Hossain were present at the dais.
The prime minister said Awami League (AL), assuming power after 21 years, started to serve the people of the country.
“My question is that why the people, who were in power in 29 years– from 1975 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2008, could not do the overall development of Bangladesh,” she said.
She also said actually the people, who don’t believe in the country’s independence and in the spirit of the War of Liberation, didn’t “look at the people of Bangladesh”.
She continued that the countrymen have started to get the benefit of the development projects taken by the AL government.
Sheikh Hasina said, “Today’s Bangladesh is a changed Bangladesh. We have been able to turn the country into a developing nation through implementation of Vision-2021.”
In this journey, the communication system has been given highest priority, she said.
The premier also briefly highlighted steps for developing Bangladesh Railway in the last 14 years and six months.
She said during these three consecutive tenures of her government, they have built 873 kilometers of new railway track, upgrade 280 km meter gauge railway to dual gauge and 1,391 km tracks were rehabilitated/reconstructed.
During this period, she said the government constructed 1,037 new railway bridges, while rehabilitated/reconstructed 794 railway bridges as well as constructed 146 new station buildings along with rebuilding of 237 stations.
She added that in the overall development of railways, the government has incorporated 111 locomotives, 658 passenger carriages, 516 freight wagons, and 50 luggage vans to Bangladesh Railways.
She continued that a total of 143 new trains have been launched on various routes alongside development and modernization of signaling systems in 134 stations.
The head of the government said they have taken initiative to procure 46 new broad gauge locomotives, 460 new broad gauge passenger carriages, 200 new meter gauge passenger carriages and 1,310 new wagons to increase rail speed, passenger service and quality of goods transportation.
“Within the next 3-4 years, the passenger and goods transportation capacity of Bangladesh Railway will be raised to international level and the quality of railway service will be improved,” she hoped.