No one can destroy Awami League: Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said no one can destroy Bangladesh Awami League as it is a well-organised political party having numerous achievements during its 70-year history of struggle.

"Awami League is one of the well-organised oldest political parties of this subcontinent. No one could tear the party to shreds through hundreds of attacks and won't be able to do so in the future, Inshallah," she said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing a discussion arranged by Bangladesh Awami League marking its 70th founding anniversary at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka.

Sheikh Hasina, also the AL president, said the party has now become a glorious organisation with the achievements gained in its 70-year history of struggle and successes.

Expressing the hope that AL will get much stronger as it did gradually in the past, she said, "AL is so deeply-rooted in public mind that no one could uproot it despite making hundreds of efforts in the past and won't be able to do so in the future."

"It's fact that the country makes progress only when Awami League comes to power. Whatever developments the country achieved during the pre-war period that also came during 1954-1958 when Awami League had been in the government," she said.

The prime minister urged the AL leaders and activists to work for the country by strengthening the party further.

She also asked them to follow the ideals of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman keeping in mind the dedication shown by their predecessors.

Highlighting different development activities of her government, Hasina said it will be able to continue the development trend as people extended their mandate to AL again in the last general election.

She expressed her gratitude to people for reelecting Awami League and keeping their trust on it again. "I want to extend my gratitude to the people of Bangladesh, and those who kept trust on AL, voted it, elected it again and again and thus gave it the opportunity to serve them," she said.

"We'll be able to develop the country as there's the continuation of the government," the Prime minister added.

The AL chief asked her party leaders and activists not to be lavish, rather lead a simple life getting mingled with general people.

She expressed her conviction to ensure people's welfare and build the country in such a way so that they can move in the international arena with dignity keeping their heads high.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh's development journey started after the Liberation War overcoming hundreds of barriers. "Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman built Bangladesh as a least developed country within only three and a half years recovering the war-ravaged economy," she added.

"Unfortunately, the Father of the Nation was killed in 1975 and then the next 21 years were again the history of deprivation," she said.

The Prime minister said the scenario of Bangladesh changed radically in the last 10 years after Awami League came to power in 2009 through the 2008 general election. "People's fate has changed as AL came to power. Today, the poverty rate came down to 21 per cent from 40 per cent," she said.

Noting that the poverty rate is 17-18 per cent in many developed countries, she reiterated that the poverty rate would be cut down to at least one per cent less than that in the developed countries. "There'll be no extreme poor in Bangladesh," she said.

Awami League general secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, its advisory council members Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed, its presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Mohammad Nasim, and joint secretaries Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, among others, spoke at the discussion.

Noted historian and Dhaka University Prof Muntassir Mamoon also spoke on the occasion.

AL Publication and Publicity Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud and Deputy Secretary Aminul Islam Amin conducted the discussion.