DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the leaders and workers of her party to inculcate honesty and sincerity for materializing the dreams of Bangabandhu, saying honesty is the best strength of her government.

She said Bangabandhu had pursued a very honest life and suffered in his whole life as he struggled with an objective of achieving freedom for the Bangalee nation and bringing smile on their faces. It’s our duty to bring smile on the faces of the people as Bangabandhu could not do it because of the conspiracy of the anti-liberation forces at home and abroad.

“Conspirators are still active and they are trying to malign us,” she said, adding that her government could overcome an international conspiracy on Padma Bridge issue because of her government’s utmost honesty. “One can speak loudly if he or she is honest,” she said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this while addressing a discussion organized by Bangladesh Awami League marking the 97th birthday of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre here.

Reiterating her government’s commitment to build Bangladesh as a peaceful nation, she said there is no place for terrorism and militancy in Bangladesh. The dangers were combated with a strong hand. Our goal is to build Bangladesh as a developed country following the ideology of Bangabandhu, she added.

“We want to ensure two meals a day for every person as well as every family’s access to housing, modern education for every child and healthcare service for every citizen which was the lifetime desire of Bangabandhu,” she said.

Senior Presidium member of the party and Deputy Leader of Jatiya Sangsad Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury presided over the meeting while it was conducted by party’s Publicity Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud and Deputy Office Secretary Asim Kumar Ukil.

Advisory Council members of the party Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta, Presidium members Matia Chowdhury, Sahara Khatun and Satish C. Roy, General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, General Secretary of Samyabadi Dal Dilip Barua, General Secretary of Dhaka City Awami League Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Joint Secretaries of Awami League Mahbubul Alam Hanif and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Organizing Secretary Mejbahuddin Siraj, Labour Affairs Secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj and Joint Secretary of Dhaka City unit Advocate Quamrul Islam addressed the meeting, among others.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the politics of killing gained ground in Bangladesh after the assassination of Bangabandhu. The nation has witnessed about 19 coups, when many Freedom Fighter military officers and soldiers were killed by firing squad or hanged.

Ziaur Rahman constituted a “duplicate government of Pakistan”, inducted notorious Razakars and anti-liberation elements into the cabinet. Zia distorted the history of the War of Liberation and even prohibited uttering the name of Bangabandhu, she said, adding that the trend continued during the regime of Zia’s wife in 1991 and 2001.

Terming Bangabandhu’s birth as an endowment of the almighty for freeing the Bangalee nation from the clutches of the Pakistani subjugation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Awami League, said since his early age Bangabandhu very closely witnessed the sufferings of the people.

“Bangabandhu had contribution to each and every success achieved by the people of Bangladesh. Bangabandhu conceptualized the Language Movement in 1948. He declared the six-point demand for political and economic emancipation of the people. Because of this he was sent to jail time and again.”

Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu used to know what the people of Bangladesh wanted. Bangabandhu always carried forward his movement according to their wishes. He imbued the people with the spirit of independence and united them. So, they always lent support to every movement of Bangabandhu, she said.

The Prime Minister said Bangabandhu never compromised on the question of justice and truth as well as of the welfare of the people of Bangladesh. The non-cooperation movement declared by Bangabandhu against Pakistani rulers was unprecedented, she added.

In his historic March 7, 1971 speech he clearly mentioned his goal for political and economic freedom of the people. On his 52nd birthday, Bangabandhu, in response to a question of a foreign journalist, also said “total emancipation” of the people, Sheikh Hasina, elder daughter of Bangabandhu, said.

“Bangabandhu also told the journalist that ‘I’m one of them (people). So what is the significance of my birthday or date of my death? My life is the people of the country’,” the Prime Minister said, adding, “A person who deeply loves his people can only say this.”

Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu knew it very well that the people of Bangladesh would certainly get freedom. So he declared in his March 7 speech that Pakistani rulers would not be able to dominate over the people of Bangladesh, she said.

Bangabandhu in most of his speech wished a prosperous life of the people of Bangladesh and it was his only expectation, the Prime Minister said, adding that Bangabandhu in his only three and a half years’ tenure could rebuild the ravaged economy and infrastructure.

It’s also stunning that Bangabandhu in a very short period of time has done or initiated most of the works required for building a newborn nation apart from framing necessary laws and a well-thought-out constitution incorporating all pledges he made during his political life.

The Prime Minister said anti-liberation forces and foreign cohorts had taken the revenge of their defeat in 1971 by killing Bangabandhu and his family members, four national leaders in 1975.

They annihilated the freedom fighters, leaders and workers of pro-liberation forces indiscriminately and continued their stride to derail the country from the path of the spirit of the Liberation War, she added.

Pointing out the facts of giving job to the Bangabandhu’s killers at Bangladesh mission abroad during the rule of Ziaur Rahman and his wife Khaleda Zia, the Prime Minister said it is the character of BNP to give indulgence to the killers and commit offense.

“They cannot do any welfare for the nation. They also don’t like Bangladesh’s progress as an independent and self-reliant country. They cannot forget their old masters, which is very unfortunate for the nation,” Sheikh Hasina said.

The Prime Minister said Bangabandhu has given us independence. “We have to build the nation with his ideology. Bangladesh is going ahead and has become a role model of development. Bangladesh is now on the track of high economic growth amidst global slowdown,” she said, adding, “Bangladesh is now free from ‘Monga’.”

She urged all to remain careful so that none can obstruct the country’s advancement. She hoped that before 2021 Bangladesh would be a middle-income country. “Bangladesh would be completely free from poverty when it would celebrate its golden jubilee.”

“And, by 2041, Insha Allah, Bangladesh would be the most peaceful and developed country in South Asia,” she hoped.