|
Opposition Awami League (AL) will place the reform proposals on the caretaker government system and the election commission before Jatiyo Sangshad (JS), report agencies.
The Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina announced this Sunday a huge public meeting at Paltan Maidan where the opposition's cross-country long march terminated on the day. She said her party would join the parliament.
"The Prime Minister has urged the opposition to place the reform proposals in Parliament. If necessary, we will do it. But if the proposals, as will be spelt out by the opposition, are not accepted in their letter and spirit, we will quit the House, if necessary," she told the rally.
Sheikh Hasina also announced the programme for observance of a day-long countrywide hartal for February 15 and other forms of agitation from February 08 to keep up the pressure.
The people through the historic Long March gave their verdict for reforms of caretaker government and election commission for free and fair elections, she noted.
"Taking the verdict of the Long March, I will place the reform proposals before the parliament," she announced amidst cheers.
She urged the people to carry on the current mass movement in support of the reforms.
Hasina announced the programme for countrywide demonstrations at all upazila headquarters on February 08 to protest the "obstructions" and "attacks" on the Long March and holding of grand rallies on February 25, on March 01 and on March 06 in Dinajpur, Chittagong and Barisal respectively.
In her 40-minute speech, the AL chief, Sheikh Hasina, said politics in the country is sharply polarised along two lines -- one line represents the spirit of Liberation War and upholds democratic ideas, and the other, pursues terrorism and militancy.
"The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-Jamaat politics is for killing, corruption, terrorism, plundering and vote rigging. They don't believe in Islam; they believe in Maududi's politics. They want to destroy democracy and the spirit of the Liberation War," she said in a blistering criticism of her political adversaries.
Blasting the government for alleged corruption, siphoning money and price-hike, the opposition leader said the government has failed miserably to control the soaring prices of essentials. The government is "top to bottom" corrupt, she noted.
"People must take account of how much money the family of the Prime Minister (PM) has looted…How the country's image can be protected when the PM's son siphons off money abroad and is caught," she said, without substantiating her charges.
Hasina asked the people to prepare themselves comparative statements about the property owned by the BNP leaders at district, thana and village levels and also their money being kept with the banks. "Please compare how much wealth they had in 2001 and how much wealth they have amassed now in 2006. All this money and also the ill-gotten property belong to the people. They must give account of their wealth to the people."
Bangladesh, she added, is now painted as a country that violators human rights, kills journalists, encourages corruption and abets militancy under the alliance rule. "Under such circumstances, how could the nation's image be upheld abroad?"
Bringing the charge of harbouring JMB militants against Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the opposition leader questioned how Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai would be caught when they are accorded the hospitality that are shown to the bridal parties.
"When foreigners come here, they make the show of arrest…the main switch of the terrorists is in the hands of Khaleda. All attacks are launched at her instruction," she said.
The post-Long March rally was also addressed by Dr Kamal Hossain, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Abdur Razzak MP, Tofael Ahmed, Abdul Jalil MP, Suranjit Sengupta MP, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim MP, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Mohammad Nasim MP, Obaidul Kader, Mohammad Hanif, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury, Chittagong Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Sylhet Mayor Badruddin Ahmed Kamran, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Huq Inu, Saifuddin Ahmed Manik, Bimal Biswas, Nurul Islam, Dilip Barua, Advocate Enamul Huq, Alhaj Abdus Samad and Iqbal Hossain Khan.
The rally was conducted by Asaduzzaman Noor MP, Abdul Mannan, Abdur Rahman and Fazle Hossain Badsha.
In her address, Sheikh Hasina congratulated the marchers on finally making their way into Dhaka, defying all "obstacles and repression".
The downfall of the 'Khaleda- Nizami regime' must take place in 2006 as the Long March reflected the will of the people "who no longer want to see them in power", she observed.
(More on Page 2)
|