PM warns university teachers against strike

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today warned the agitating public university teachers against causing any damage to the lives of thousands of students.

“Students will not accept it if you continue protests against the new pay scale boycotting classes,” Hasina said while addressing a rally in Dhaka marking Bangabandhu’s Homecoming Day.

Referring to agitating teachers, Hasina, also chief of the ruling Awami League, said dignity cannot be achieved through waging movement. “If you want dignity like that of a secretary, just resign and qualify the Public Service Commission exams and then become a secretary,” she said.

Terming the movement “illogical”, the premier said: “We have raised the salary by 100 percent in the new pay scale, but you are yet to be satisfied with the increase.”

The premier blasted her archrival BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for questioning the number of martyrs of the country’s 1971 Liberation War.

“Khaleda Zia loves Pakistan and, so, she speaks in the tone of the then occupation forces. How dare you (Khaleda)?” Hasina asked.

Citing several development works in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, she said her government is working tirelessly to reduce traffic congestion in the capital.

“We have already set up at least 100 power plants at different places in the country to mitigate the demands for power and energy. All houses across the country will get electricity connection by 2025,” she hoped.

PM also called upon the people from all walks of life not to create any hindrance to development. Saying that her government would go ahead, she warned that none would be allowed to create any impediment to development.

Sounding note of caution about the extremism and militancy, the prime minister said none would be allowed to carry out militant activities in the country.

Awami League organised the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan marking the Homecoming Day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman this afternoon. The homecoming day is originally January 10 but the party a few days ago decided to hold the rally today due to the first phase of Biswa Ijtema, which ended yesterday.

Earlier, the AL central leaders delivered their speeches at the rally with Hasina in the chair.

Amir Hossain Amu, Suranjit Sengupta, Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Mohammad Nasim and Syed Ashraful Islam spoke at the rally among the senior party leaders.

Thousands of people leaders, activists and supporters of the ruling party thronged the rally since morning, causing huge traffic congestion on the city streets.

Bangabandhu became the undisputed leader of the then Pakistan through AL's landslide victory in the general elections of 1970s and was arrested by the Pakistani army on March 25, 1971 from his Dhanmondi residence during a late night crackdown on East Pakistanis.

He was kept in a West Pakistani jail while the nation fought the Liberation War for nine months to achieve victory on December 16, 1971. On the day in 1972, the Pakistani junta was compelled to free Bangabandhu.