PM wishes peaceful life for people in New Year

Greeting all on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today hoped that there would be no reoccurrence of burning people to death in the country in the future in the name of movement and people will live a peaceful and secure life.

"It's quite unfortunate that some incidents took place in Bangladesh which the country had never seen in the past like burning people alive in the name of movement. I hope such incidents would not reoccur in the future," she said.

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the ruling Awami League, said this while exchanging greetings with her party leaders and workers of all tiers at her official residence Gono Bhaban in the morning.

The prime minister noted that the good thing was that the common people resisted such misdeeds and crimes while all alongside the law enforcement agencies curbed these subversive acts. "As a result, we've been able to overcome this situation."

Expressing her high hope that the New Year would bring peace among the people of Bangladesh as well as the year would be nice and peaceful one, Hasina said, "We want no more people to be burned to death."

Turning to the mayhem unleashed by the BNP-led 20-party alliance after the January 5 this year, Hasina said the country had to go through many disasters (manmade disasters) over the last 92 days while the oppression and torture unleashed by alliance men on the common people could not at all be acceptable to anyone.

Hasina also questioned how a human being having the minimum level of humanity could commit such subversive acts that the BNP-Jamaat people has committed. "We do politics only for ensuring people's welfare, our each and every step is for the sake of the country and its people," she added.

The prime minister also vowed to further take Bangladesh towards socio-economic development through ensuring peace and security in public life and thus build a hunger and poverty-free prosperous Bangladesh.

Hasina said the Pahela Baishakh is such a festival which is being observed with festive mood not only in Dhaka, but also across the country with the participation of people from all strata irrespective of caste and creed.

After assuming office, her government took initiative to observe this day with government initiatives in all districts and upazilas.

Referring to the observance of Pahela Baishakh of 1400, the prime minister alleged that although Awami League had taken initiative to observe that Bengali New Year with much festivity through forming a committee headed by late poet Sufia Kamal, but the then BNP government obstructed it.

But, the PM said her party men alongside the common people unitedly observed the Bengali New Year through observing programmes at Suhrawardy Uddyan overcoming the hurdles of the then BNP government.

"Today, there's a new spirit among people and it's the expectation of all that the whole year would pass nicely," she added.

Earlier, the ruling party leaders greeted the prime minister presenting her with a bouquet.