Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her ruling Awami League had taken initiatives to reconstitute the party from the grassroots, aiming to enhance its organisational strength.

Hasina, also the AL chief, said the party formed eight committees for eight divisions, comprising members from presidium members, Advisory Council and AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC), to celebrate the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a befitting manner.

“Their job is to reconstruct the party from the grassroots, build the party and look after the committees constituted across the country,” she said, UNB reports.

The PM made the comments while delivering the introductory speech in a joint meeting of the ALCWC and the advisory council at the party’s central party office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.

Sources said, the meeting decided to start countrywide organizational tour to strengthen the party and to resolve intra-party disputes.  

At the meeting, Hasina asked her party lawmakers to increase their party activities and asked party top leaders to take initiatives to hold councils where the committee tenure expired.

At her welcome address, Hasina said the AL already declared 2020-2021 as “Mujib Year” and this would be celebrated both by the government and the party.

After August 15, 1975, the PM said, the dark era fell upon the whole nation and the country’s people did not get their desired development. “On the other hand, whenever the AL formed governments, the lives of the country’s people changed. Today, Bangladesh is on its way to eradicate hunger and poverty.”

She mentioned that the AL, after returning to power in 2008, had been able to reduce the rate of poverty from 40 percent to 21 percent.

The country’s people are marching towards economic development and their fate has been changed, Hasina said.

“The sign of this development is visible in rural areas as villagers are now getting out of poverty and their solvency is increasing, which was the dream of the Father of the Nation,” she said, adding, “The popularity of the Awami League has been increasing day by day.”

“Generally, the popularity of the ruling party wanes; the case is different for the Awami League.”

Hasina mentioned that in the December 30 polls, people from all walks of life extended their support to the party. “Everyone wanted to see the Awami League in power to serve them; they cast their votes for the party massively.”

The PM alleged that on the contrary, the BNP-Jamaat took the election as their tool to make some money in the name of giving party nominations. “They were not serious about the election. Their intention was to make some hefty money through nomination trade. They suffered a defeat in the polls as a result of that.”