Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of the historic March 7.

The prime minister placed wreaths at the portrait of the Father of the Nation in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital at 7:00am.

She first laid a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu as the prime minister. After placing the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of independence.

At that time, the younger daughter of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Rehana, joined the prime minister.

Munajat was offered seeking the eternal peace of the great leader, his martyred family members, and millions of martyrs who made their supreme sacrifice for the country.

On this day in 1971, Bangabandhu through his fiery and soulful address made a clarion call to the people to fight against the Pakistani rulers to achieve long-cherished independence.

Before a rally of a million of freedom-loving people at the then Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on March 7 in 1971, Bangabandhu firmly declared, "the struggle this time is for our freedom, the struggle this time is for our independence".

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the government is implementing various programmes to strengthen the position of womenfolk in the society, create women leadership and enhance women's education so that they can advance equally.

"We want women of the country to step forward equally. Half of the population of this society are women. If the womenfolk cannot prepare themselves equally ... then how this society will be developed?" she said at a programme at Bangladesh Shishu Academy auditorium marking the 140th birth and 88th death anniversary of Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain.

Prime Minister Hasina said that the government wants to build Bangladesh into a developed country.

Sheikh Hasina said that the government has given importance to women's education and their employment. The government wants to develop the socioeconomic condition of the country and for that it has taken massive development programmes.

In this connection she mentioned about the special training programmes for women.

The Election Commission’s activities will determine whether BNP and its alliance will stay in the election race till the end, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said today.

“The activities of the EC have been biased so far. If the commission wants, it can still create the atmosphere of a fair polls,” he told reporters in front of his Uttara residence this morning. The BNP leader was heading to Bogura and Rangpur for electioneering.

The BNP secretary general said, “The election has become questionable. The role of the EC and law enforcing agencies is not satisfactory at all.”

“BNP and its alliance partners had hoped that after army deployment the overall atmosphere would be improved and the election atmosphere would return but that has not happened,” Fakhrul said.

“The way violence is being carried out, opposition campaigns are being barred, which is not at all congenial for a fair election,” he alleged.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday criticised the BNP for allowing Jamaat candidates to contest the December 30 election with its symbol “sheaf of paddy”.

She said there was no place for the BNP-Jamaat men in Bangladesh as they were involved in killing people through arson attacks.

“There'll be no place for them on Bangladeshi soil as the smell of charred human bodies still comes out from the symbol of 'sheaf of paddy'. Please be aware of them!” Hasina told an election rally arranged by Pirganj upazila AL at Pirganj Government High School ground.

The PM joined the rally after offering fateha at the grave of her husband Dr MA Wazed Miah, an eminent nuclear scientist, who was from Pirganj.

Earlier in the day, Hasina also addressed another rally in Rangpur's Taraganj.

In Pirganj, the AL chief urged all to vote for her party for the sake of the country's development and prosperity.

She said the next election is very important and asked people to cast their votes in favour of boat, the AL's electoral symbol. “I do believe the wind is now at the sail of boat ... the victory of boat is sure.”

Recalling the miserable days of 2014 and 2015 when the BNP-Jamaat was involved in killing people through arson attacks, she said those who killed people in such a way are not human beings, but just devils. 

Hasina said BNP chief Khaleda Zia embezzled orphans' money while her son had been convicted of money laundering, arms smuggling and the August 21 grenade attack. 

“What development will be done by the convicted fugitive; what type of welfare will they do for the country? The people of the country need to be aware of them.”

The PM said whenever the AL comes to power, the welfare of people is ensured.

She said the government had taken steps for the employment of the youths. “Using their potential, we'll take the country towards prosperity. We'll build poverty-and hunger-free Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”

Introducing the AL candidate for the next general election from Pirganj, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Hasina said, “She's my daughter; I'm handing my daughter to you ... you'll cast votes in favour of me, but the name will be Shirin Sharmin.”

Briefly describing various development programmes of her government in the last 10 years, she said the government has numerous plans for the coming days to make the county a developed one.  

Hundreds of Awami League supporters have gathered on college premises in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur where Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will hold an election rally to seek vote for “boat”. Photo: Collected

Speaker Shirin Sharmin, AL central leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Ahammad Hossain, BM Mozammel, AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Rangpur district AL acting president Momtaz Uddin Ahmed, Jubo League President Omar Faruk Chowdhury and Chhatra League President Redwanul Haque Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the rally.

Pirganj upazila AL acting president Azizur Rahman Ranga presided over the programme. 

Pirganj Upazila Parishad Chairman Nur Mohammad Mandal, who recently joined the AL, quitting the BNP Pirganj upazila president post, also spoke on the occasion.

TARAGANJ RALLY

Addressing another campaign rally at Taraganj Government Degree College ground, Hasina urged the people of Rangpur region to cast their votes for “boat” to complete the unfinished projects taken for the development of the northern region.

“For the overall development of this region, we've taken so many projects ... we've taken steps so that every road of this area is developed ... we've to complete those work and for that we need your votes for 'boat'.”

Taraganj upazila AL organised the rally with its president Atiar Rahman in the chair.

Introducing local AL candidate (Rangpur-2) Abul Kalam Md Ahsanul Haque Chowdhury, she called upon all to cast their votes for her party to give it another chance to serve them. “Please, vote for our candidates so that we can work for you.”

Remembering the miserable days when Rangpur was infamous for “Manga” (famine), Hasina said the situation had changed here when her party formed the government in 2009 after the 2008 election.

She said the government had introduced cards for farmers so that they could get their subsidy easily. “We've ensured fertilizers, seeds, irrigation for agricultural production as well as ensured fair price for their produce.”

The PM said every inch of the country's cultivable land would be utilised so that food security of the country was never endangered and “Manga” never staged a comeback.

Hasina also spoke at a number of roadside rallies in Dinajpur before leaving for Dhaka at night.

Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, inset, addresses a large gathering at a rally at the grounds of Pirganj Govt High School in Rangpur. Photo: PID